A penny for Mateus Fernandes’ thoughts right now. Two Premier League seasons, at two different clubs, and yet the misery of his Southampton spell appears to have followed him to West Ham United.
The Portugal Under-21 captain was part of the Saints side which finished rock bottom in 2024/25. Their tally of 12 points, meanwhile, means they rank only ever-so-slightly ahead of the infamous Derby County outfit of 2007/08 when it comes to the worst teams ever to grace the Premier League stage.
Should Mateus Fernandes’ current employers lose again against Newcastle next time out, meanwhile, West Ham United will have as many points after ten matchdays as Southampton had last season.
No wonder he is worried. Deja vu of the very worst kind.
Yet, Mateus Fernandes was arguably Nuno’s standout performer at Elland Road despite only playing the final half hour or so.
While Tony Cottee questioned the absence of Callum Wilson from the starting XI once again, the sight of Andy Irving and Tomas Soucek lining up ahead of Fernandes, Soungoutou Magassa and Freddie Potts only added to the suspicion that Nuno is suffering from the same Jack Torrence-style irrationality that overcame Graham Potter in the Hammers’ hotseat.
Mateus Fernandes scores his first-ever header as West Ham United lose at Leeds
Fernandes, to his credit, is not performing like a man frustrated with his recent lack of game time. Despite being hauled off after 45 minutes against Brentford and left out of the XI at Elland Road, the £40 million summer signing went about his business with a professionalism and a clear determination.
Something sorely lacking from many other players in claret and blue right now.
His 90th minute consolation – Fernandes’ first for the club – was the one moment of genuine positivity on another miserable evening. He flicked a delightful Jarrod Bowen cross past Leeds ‘keeper Lucas Perri.
“I think it was my first goal with my head in professional [football],” says the former Sporting Lisbon academy graduate, who has now scored seven times at senior club level.
“But it means nothing. We are not happy about the result, we are not happy about the performance.
“We need to take some time to think. Me as well. The last game [against Brentford] was not good for me. I need to try. I need to go again because, if I miss a pass, I will try again, every time.”
Fernandes explains how West Ham can avoid Southampton’s fate
Fernandes, at least, appears to ‘get it’.
Though the likes of Troy Deeney have questioned West Ham’s decision to spend such a substantial sum of money on two players who suffered relegation last season – Mateus Fernandes and Mads Hermansen, the former Watford captain points out, are ‘used to losing’ – the all-action Iberian understands that actions speak louder than words.
“A very difficult moment for everybody. It’s difficult. We need to be big guys now and show a lot of personality. I think we can show more, play more, run more, fight more, everything more!” Fernandes added, his typically bullish performances on the pitch at least suggesting that these comments are more than empty platitudes.
“We need to work hard. We need to stick together, everybody, to get some points and win the games.
“Last season, for me, it was the same. One game can change everything, so we need to focus on our game. We need to do more. If it’s the training sessions, the academy, recovery, we don’t need to talk, we need to show to everybody.
“If you look at the squad, we have a lot of quality. But it’s not about quality, it’s about intensity, fight, and we need to show more. We can do much better, and I am sure we will do much better.
“I try to look for the positive things. OK, we are losing but we can score one goal, two goals, we have time. Things can change so quickly. So we need to trust the manager, our teammates, in ourselves, because it’s about confidence.”
