If selling Mohammed Kudus to their bitter rivals was annoying, the prospect of West Ham United losing fan favourite Mateus Fernandes to Tottenham Hotspur hardly bears thinking about.
A whole week has passed since Hammers News reported that Manchester United were in the box seat for Mateus Fernandes.
Since then, while talks are ongoing behind the scenes, there has been no bid, no announcements, and much less progress than an increasingly impatient Red Devils fanbase would have liked.
How would you feel about selling Mateus Fernandes to Tottenham? 👀
It would feel so wrong seeing him in a Spurs shirt 😬
Is there a chance that Man United’s apparent reluctance to meet West Ham United’s £80 million asking price has left the door ajar? After Mohammed Kudus became the first player in 14 years to leave the Hammers for Spurs, could Mateus Fernandes make it two east-to-north transfers in the space of twelve months?
Tottenham joined Manchester United in race for West Ham star Mateus Fernandes
Tottenham have thrown their hat into the ring, as reiterated on Thursday evening by The Athletic’s David Ornstein.
But just to calm the fears of a Hammers fanbase dreading the idea of Fernandes wearing the white of Tottenham – probably the most painful outcome imaginable – we draw your attention to a transfer saga which rumbled on for much of 2025.
The Bryan Mbeumo saga.
According to CentreDevils, Tottenham were willing to bid in excess of the £65 million fee eventually paid by Man United for Mbeumo. Brentford even tried to convince the Cameroon international to accept Spurs’ offer, due to the greater financials involved.
Mbeumo made it clear that he only wanted Man United, though. Tottenham, despite promising to offer more money up front, were not so much facing an uphill battle as traversing the North Face of the Eiger in socks and slippers.
Lest we forget, Tottenham could offer Champions League football back in 2025. Man United, in contrast, couldn’t even put Conference League action on the table. Yet, Mbeumo still turned his nose up at the former as he awaited an acceptable bid from the latter.
What do you think will be the biggest DIFFERENCE in the Kretinsky era? 🤔
Max Hahn's comments speak volumes…
Fernandes wants to join Bruno and Michael Carrick at Old Trafford
Twelve months on, everything points to Fernandes doing the same.
Hammers News can confirm that Fernandes has made Man United his preferred destination. He is relishing the idea of playing alongside his idol – and namesake – Bruno Fernandes at Old Trafford.
Furthermore, it is Man United who can offer Champions League football this time. Tottenham, in contrast, only finished one place and two points above the relegation zone; last season their worst ever in the Premier League.
If Spurs couldn’t compete with Man United’s pulling power last summer, imagine the discrepency now.
BBC Sport’s Manchester correspondent Simon Stone has already said he would be ‘surprised’ if Fernandes did not end up in Michael Carrick’s roster.
Of course, there is still a chance that Tottenham would be willing to offer a greater up-front fee. West Ham are no longer under pressure to accept lowball bids after Daniel Kretinsky injected £90 million into the coffers.
But as Spurs discovered in 2025 – not to mention Brentford – if a player is wholly against joining a specific club, no amount of extra millions will force through an unwanted transfer.
You suspect that the majority of West Ham fans would rather see Fernandes join Man United for £70 million, anyway, rather than join Kudus at their despised neighbours from North London for a few million more.
And as talkSPORT explain, Tottenham’s interest is not quite as current as some have suggested. Spurs reportedly made an enquiry earlier in the summer, but their interest has since cooled.
It is not hard to imagine that Spurs turning to alternative targets such as Sandro Tonali and Adam Wharton has a lot to do with the fact that Mateus Fernandes wants Manchester United above all others.
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