Mateus Fernandes and Gustavo Sa may feel like a bit of a lazy comparison, as West Ham United continue to be linked with one Portugal Under-21 international after selling another.
But their Iberian upbringing and their 12 games together at the heart of the Portugal U21 midfield aside, the two compatriots do share a few more similarities.
It appears that the Portuguese press got ahead of themselves when claiming that West Ham were on the verge of a £17 million deal with Famalicao for Goncalo Sa. Club insider ExWhuEmployee reports that, while there is interest, there is nothing imminent at this stage.
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Taty returns, Nuno chats with Bowen, and a couple of youngsters make an appearance
What is not up for dispute, though, is that the Hammers need to combat the sale of Mateus Fernandes by signing at least one all-action midfielder in his place.
Rui Pedro Silva, Nuno Espirito Santo’s assistant coach, worked with Gustavo Sa at Famalicao in 2022. And the praise Silva had for Gustavo Sa could easily be copied and pasted next to Fernandes’ name.
Gustavo Sa might be West Ham United’s Mateus Fernandes successor
Nuno’s number two talked about the 21-year-old’s ‘enormous’ competitive edge, his ‘maturity and leadership beyond the norm’, his ‘extraordinary tactical understanding’, and his ability to thrive as both a box-to-box midfielder and a more creatively-minded number eight.
The stats, meanwhile, paint an extremely interesting picture.
If we compare Gustavo Sa in 2025/26 with Mateus Fernandes in 2023/24 – when he was a 21-year-old on loan from Sporting Lisbon to Estoril – the former comes out on top in a number of areas. Does this mean Gustavo Sa is destined to ascend to higher heights than his compatriot? Absolutely not.
But does this mean that Gustavo Sa is further along in his development than Fernandes was at the same age? Well, quite possibly.
Sa played 32 games for Famalicao last term compared to Fernandes’ 29 at Estoril in 2023/24.
Sa ended the campaign with four Primeira Liga goals, compared to Fernandes’ one in the season prior to his £15 million move from Sporting to Southampton. At 6ft 2ins, Sa is taller than Fernandes, and he has been seen putting his height to good use.
Headers made up 50 per cent of his goals in 2025/26. West Ham will be without Tomas Soucek for the opening stanza of the new Championship campaign. If Sa was to come in, the Hammers may have someone who could perform a similarly box-crashing role before slipping back into a deeper position upon Soucek’s return.
Sa provided only two assists in 2025/26 – the same as Fernandes in 23/24 – but from an ‘Expected Assists’ tally of 4.4. This means that he was frequently let down by his teammates in the final third; the quality of chances he created not matching up to the finishing provided.
A tally of eight assists in the previous campaign at Famalicao shows the kind of numbers Sa is capable of providing with more reliable finishers ahead of him.
As things stand, Jarrod Bowen and Taty Castellanos will be West Ham players during the curtain-raiser at Burnley in mid-August. Ammunition for those two would not be in short supply.
What do the stats tell us about £17m Gustavo Sa? 🇵🇹
Is he a more complete player than Fernandes was when leaving Portugal?
Gustavo Sa takes more shots and takes more risks
Fernandes’ West Ham teammates would often tell him to shoot more, particularly after he demonstrated his long-range ball-striking in January’s 3-1 win over Sunderland. Gustavo Sa certainly seems more inclined to let fly and take risks.
He had 32 attempts on goal last season with an accuracy of 44 per cent, compared to Fernandes’ eight shots with an accuracy of 67 per cent at Estoril.
Fernandes likes to get involved in the build up more than Sa, as evidenced by his greater number of passes, his greater dribbling numbers, and his willingness to drop deep and receive possession. Yet, while Sa does most of his best work in the attacking third, he does not shirk his defensive tasks.
The former Porto kid picked up seven yellow cards last season. Fernandes averaged slightly more tackles per game at Estoril, but Sa has him beat when it comes to blocks, clearances and possessions won in the final third.
“It’s not easy to find this type of personality in football,” the aforementioned Rui Pedro Silva told FlashScore in 2024. “He has the ability to slow down the game at the crucial moment and make the right choice, which is often unexpected and unconventional.
“He has the physical robustness of a box-to-box midfielder, but he can play as an attacking midfielder and break through in scoring opportunities.
“He manages to have both types of maturity. He has an extraordinary tactical understanding for his age and above-average maturity as a human being.”
Mateus Fernandes and Gustavo Sa have a few things in common, then, but also a few key differences.
The standout contrast being that the latter looks a more creative, risk-taking midfielder than the version of Fernandes who left Sporting for Southampton, while also sharing the same combativeness that made Mateus such a favourite at St Mary’s and the London Stadium.
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