How do you replace a man like Mateus Fernandes? That is the question on the lips of many West Ham United supporters as the Portugal international prepares to become the second-biggest sale in the club’s history.
It emerged on Tuesday afternoon that Tottenham are spending a club-record £85 million on Fernandes.
West Ham United were always going to lose their most talented, complete midfielder since Declan Rice’s departure. Relegation made that an inevitability.
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And while some would rather see Manchester United win the race – the thought of Mateus Fernandes pulling the strings in the white of Spurs is a painful one indeed – Nuno Espirito Santo should now benefit from a war chest their Championship rivals could only dream of.
But how they spend said war chest, amid links with a number of midfield targets, remains to be seen.
West Ham United have been linked with numerous Mateus Fernandes replacements
Jordan James – Rennes
Possibly the stand-out candidate. Wales international James is the reigning Championship Young Player of the Year. What’s more, no central midfielder scored more than his eleven goals. That James achieved such feats while on loan at a Leicester City side who crashed, burned and blundered into League One makes a terrific campaign even more impressive.
According to reports, parent club Rennes will consider offers of around £13 million. A return to England appeals to the Birmingham City graduate. Furthermore, it did not go unnoticed last month when James went on a West Ham-themed follow spree on social media.
Still only 21, he lacks Fernandes’ ability to drive the ball forward from deep. But, like with his new-found goalscoring exploits, this is something the all-action, ever-improving dynamo can pick up in time. His ceaseless intensity, his ability to thrive in a variety of midfield roles, and his ability to pull rabbits out of hats would surely help fill a Fernandes-shaped void.
His eleven goals came from an XG of just over four. Thus, epitomising James’ ability to produce something special out of very little.
“He is so good,” EFL expert George Elek said on the Not the Top 20 podcast. “I’m so intrigued to know what is going to happen to Jordan James next season.
“I still think there’s a chance he could be properly good, like elite.”
Sydie Peck – Sheffield United
Peck was one of those who lost out to James in the Young Player of the Year running. While Sheffield United’s campaign was nowhere near as disastrous as Leicester’s – the Blades finished 13th – the Enfield-born enforcer was still the stand-out performer for an underachieving side.
Peck’s qualities were summed up best when Sheffield United beat Middlesbrough 3-1 a year ago at Bramall Lane.
In the build up to the Blades’ second goal, Peck received the ball inside his own half. Under pressure from a Middlesbrough marker, he shimmied away with a clever turn before splitting the visiting defence wide open with a glorious through ball.
A ‘colossal presence’ is how BBC Sport Sheffield’s Adam Collier describes him; a £20 million-rated midfielder who ‘exudes balance, awareness and stamina’.
According to The Athletic, the Sheffield United favourite is ‘high on West Ham’s list of targets’. The Londoners are enamoured with Peck’s ‘huge potential’, having scouted him since the beginning of 2025.
Peck is a different profile to that of James. He creates fewer chances and scores fewer goals, but ranks much higher when it comes to defensive duels. It all depends, really, on what sort of midfielder West Ham are looking for
Josh Mulligan – Hibernian
While James and Peck have proven themselves to be superb operators at Championship level, Josh Mulligan could emulate Aston Villa captain John McGinn when the day comes for him to move below the border.
McGinn joined Villa from Hibernian in 2018. Eight years on, Mulligan may be about to follow in the footsteps of a Scotland international he has frequently been compared to.
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Reporter Ben Jacobs claims that West Ham have an interest in the former Dundee dynamo. Middlesbrough have already backed away, in the knowledge that Mulligan will receive more ‘lucrative offers’.
Mulligan is not really a goalscorer. He netted only once in last season’s Scottish Premiership. What he is, though, is a very modern, extremely energetic midfielder who could slot into a number of different roles in Nuno’s squad. If the Hammers boss wants someone capable of offering cover at full-back, someone who can put out fires in front of the defence or carry the ball forward with a lung-busting charge, then Mulligan can do it all.
While McGinn is the most obvious comparison these days, the 23-year-old was even likened to Gareth Bale while playing on the wing in his younger days.
“He’s another player with those John McGinn vibes; head down, runs through people. It’s great to see,” said Hibs teammate Martin Boyle. “His balance is incredible. He’s faster with the ball than he is without it, probably the way John was.
“He can only get better. Much better, I believe.”
Hibs price-tag is yet to be confirmed. Though you could probably get three or four Mulligans for the price of one Peck.
Alpha Toure – FC Metz
Max Hahn left West Ham for a new role in Sweden with Djurgardens last month. But not before the former head of recruitment recommended Alpha Toure to the Hammers.
Senegalese reporter Khadim Diakhate even stated in May that West Ham had reached an agreement in principle with Toure ahead of a £6 million move to the London Stadium. Things have gone quiet since then. But with Fernandes’ departure set to become official, it would not be a surprise if a move for El Hadji Malick Diouf’s young compatriot was sped up in the aftermath.
The stats show that Fernandes is an elite escaper of a high-press. Toure, even for a Metz side who finished rock-bottom in Ligue 1, is another who possesses the quick feet and quicker wit required to skip away from his marker before springing attacks from deep. He is extremely comfortable in possession in addition to being a natural left-footer who can also play at full-back.
Toure is still only 20 and has more rough edges than a teenager’s first woodwork project. But as West Ham close in on the appointment of Nils Koppen – a technical director renowned for pulling off young, affordable signings from abroad – this would be a fitting first signing of the Koppen era.
“It’s always flattering when clubs like West Ham or Besiktas are interested in me,” Toure told Africa Foot in February when the rumours first emerged.
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Mohamadou Kante – West Ham United
Speaking of talented midfield prospects from across the Channel, perhaps the answer to West Ham’s post-Fernandes problem is staring Nuno right in the face.
After racking up eleven Premier League appearances last season, albeit without starting any of them, the 2025/26 season is destined to be a big one for Mohamadou Kante.
The sale of Fernandes deprives West Ham of a number eight who loves to pick up the ball from deep and drive forwards, galloping through defensive legs like a deer through the thickets. This, though, is an area in which Kante also excels. In 18 appearances for the Hammers’ Under-21 side, he racked up an impressive five goals and three assists.
Kante was compared to Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira on more than one occasion, highlighting both his physical prowess but also an elegance which belies his 6ft 5ins frame.
“Physically, he’s an athlete. That is the modern profile of a Premier League midfielder,” said West Ham’s Academy Manager Kenny Brown. “You’ve got to have energy, cover ground and have presence, but he’s more than that.
“He’s got real ability on the ball and can score goals.”
Expect a first league start, and a first league goal, for Kante in the upcoming Championship campaign. With Fernandes going and soon to be gone, maybe West Ham don’t need to spend heavily on a replacement.
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