In some parallel universe out there in the distant dark, West Ham United snapped up Mateus Fernandes on Friday before picking up their first three points of the new Premier League season away at Sunderland 24 hours later.
Of course, in our reality, things are not quite that simple. They seldom are, when it comes to West Ham United.
Southampton rejected that £30 million Mateus Fernandes bid on the dawn of the 2025/26 campaign, while Saints CEO Phil Parsons would go on to say that the Portugal Under-21 ace is nowhere near ‘close’ to leaving the banks of the Solent for East London as things stand.
Even the most pessimistic Hammers supporter might not have expected that the Fernandes-shaped hole at the heart of Graham Potter’s midfield to be exposed quite so brutally, however, as a blood-stained Stadium of Light turf descended into a gore-filled murder scene.
The more squeamish members of the West Ham fanbase would be advised hiding behind the sofa when Match of the Day returns on Saturday night.
It was Eliezer Mayenda, Dan Ballard and latterly Wilson Isidor who stuck the knife into claret-and-blue guts. But, just to add a colossal dose of insult to oh-so painful injury, the man who ran the show at the heart of Sunderland’s midfield found himself on West Ham’s radar long before Potter and co turned towards Mateus Fernandes.
Habib Diarra shows why West Ham United needed to sign the Sunderland ace
While Graham Potter hailed Sunderland’s signing of Granit Xhaka during his pre-match press conference, the Swiss star was not even the stand-out performer in Regis Le Bris’ engine room.
That honour instead goes to Habib Diarra.
Hammers News can confirm, ironically enough, that head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay had been watching Diarra ever since he was reunited with Potter in January. A former Chelsea employee, Macaulay was aware of the Senegal enforcer’s talents on the back of his fine spell across the Channel at Strasbourg, another Clearlake-controlled outfit.
And, on a day when Mads Hermansen and El Hadji Malick Diouf started Premier League matches for the very first time, you will struggle to find a more impressive top-flight introduction than the one made by Sunderland’s new number 19.
Goalkeeper Hermansen had to be at his best to deny Diarra a goal within the first ten minutes. This would not be the only time that the 21-year-old used his explosive turn of pace and his fearsome athleticism to charge through the one-paced Hammers, Guido Rodriguez and James Ward-Prowse fading away in the rearview mirror.
In fact, Diarra was pretty much the antithesis to the other £30 million midfielder. A £30 million midfielder in price-tag, but not performance.
While Ward-Prowse seems to have picked up some sort of life-threatening allergy to forward passes, everything Diarra did was positive and purposeful. One barnstorming carry just before the break was reminiscent of Yaya Toure in Manchester City’s sky blue. Diarra also whacked one fizzing shot over the crossbar. Inaccurate, yes, but showcasing the sort of self-confidence Potter’s own players seemed increasingly devoid of.
Ward-Prowse was rated 3/0 following an ‘abysmal’ display during Hammers News’ post-match autopsy.
Mateus Fernandes remains a West Ham target despite Southampton stance
The good news – yes, there is still a lingering sliver of hope – is that the transfer window does not close for another fortnight.
Southampton are holding out for £50 million, but one suspects that a lower fee will be considered if Fernandes pushes for an immediate return to the top flight.
While slightly more subtle in his approach compared to the swashbuckling Diarra, Fernandes does still possess so many of the attributes a snail-pace partnership of Rodriguez and Ward-Prowse lacks. He alone is not a medicine to cure all of West Ham’s ills, but he would go a long way to addressing the chronic lack of ball-carrying dynamism.
“Mateus Fernandes is on people’s radar because every week he plays his heart out. He is by far the best player on the football pitch from a Saints perspective,” former Southampton captain Jo Tessem told BBC Radio Solent Southampton in the spring.
“He is becoming an ultimate Premier League midfielder and clubs are not going to let that go.
“He plays like a Premier League player. He passes like a Premier League player. He is quick like a Premier League player. He conducts himself so well in midfield.”
The same certainly could not be said of many of those on Graham Potter’s team sheet on Wearside.
