West Ham will face a new recruitment challenge now that the deal to sell Mateus Fernandes is pencilled in: The young Portuguese midfielder looks set to join Tottenham any day once the final details are ironed out.
Fernandes carried the weight of West Ham’s midfield upon his shoulders last season, as the club’s sole creative player, and one through whom most of the transition play was channeled.
The prospect of youngsters Lewis Orford and George Earthy stepping up immediately seems unlikely, so the main task for the Hammers this summer is to get on and sign a replacement ready to hit the ground running when the Championship kicks off in August.
Leading the list of likely replacements at present is ‘top prospect’ (exWHUEmployee) Martin Adeline from French side Troyes.
“[Ex] exclusively revealed interest in him at the start of the window, and this interest still remains. The midfielder has scored 11 goals in 55 league games and represented France at under-19 and 20 level.
“West Ham face competition from both RC Lens and FC Lorient, who are keeping close tabs on the midfielder, potentially offering him a top-flight return in France.”
And it seems action will be gathering pace now that the Fernandes deal is done:
“Once the Fernandes money arrives at the club, we are expected to make a move for the Frenchman”
Adeline is considered: ” a dynamic, right footed attacking midfielder: Renowned as a creative playmaker, he excels at finding dangerous positions inside the penalty box, delivering incisive passes, and combining elite goal-scoring with high chance creation.” (conceptscouting). Claimed to be valued at €10m, with 10 goals and 10 assists in 32 Ligue 2 appearances this season.
One to watch once the Fernandes deal is signed and sealed but by no means the only attacking midfielder on West Ham United’s summer radar.
Let’s not get too excited about money we get in being spent on transfers straight away. There are bills (existing outgoing transfer obligations) to be dealt with first.