On the day that Southampton rejected a £30 million bid from West Ham United, Mateus Fernandes certainly did not perform like a footballer whose head had been turned by Premier League interest.
All eyes were on the Portugal Under-21 international when Southampton travelled to Kevin Nolan’s Northampton Town outfit in the first round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.
Southampton had turned down West Ham’s opening offer only a few hours previously, after all.
If this was a farewell appearance, Mateus Fernandes certainly signed off in style. Bursting down the right-hand side, he latched onto a clever through ball, checked back inside, and rifled a lethal strike into the roof of the Cobblers net.
Mateus Fernandes ‘plays like a Premier League player’, to quote former Saints captain Jo Tessem. And, as West Ham United watch on like a hungry hawk with a ravenous appetite for dynamic central midfielders, this was certainly a goal worthy of the first division.
But if the Hammers were hoping they would be given a reason for optimism as Southampton coach Will Still was quizzed on Fernandes’ future at full-time, they may have been a little disappointed.
Will Still speaks out after Southampton reject West Ham United’s Mateus Fernandes bid
One week after West Ham snapped up Mads Hermansen from another recently-relegated side in Leicester City, Still accepts that the relentless speculation is a distraction he could do without.
But for as long as Fernandes remains in red and white – Southampton are holding out for at least £50 million albeit talks with the Hammers remain active – the manager plans to use him.
“Matty’s back in. We scored a great goal,” says Still, bringing the former Sporting Lisbon youngster into his starting XI after a cameo appearance in Saturday’s comeback win over Wrexham.
“I think Matty grew into the game and everyone saw that. He’s top. He’s top. I think he’d missed quite a bit of football, which is understandable [due to an illness he picked up in pre-season]. But since we’ve brought him back in, he came on and made an impact on Saturday.
“He’s back in the group, he’s back among the camaraderie. He scored a great goal tonight. We probably could have scored two or three more.
“We also know that he’s got that quality in him. He can make that difference, so it’s a positive.”
West Ham miss out as Newcastle close in on Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey
Graham Potter and co appear to have shifted their attention towards Fernandes as Newcastle close in on Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey.
West Ham had held discussions with Ramsey themselves.
“It’s not so much about the focus, it’s more about not knowing what your team will look like from one week to the next,” Still adds, uncertainty hanging over the likes of Fernandes and Tyler Dibling with just over two weeks until deadline day.
“We are preparing stuff, and we’ve said it to ourselves and the board, we just need to get through these next few weeks.
“You can’t look any further than the next day. I hope we can bring a few in and move a few on [in the next week]. I’ve been saying that for a few weeks now.”
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