After West Ham United suffered a humiliating 5-1 defeat by Chelsea on their first home match of the Premier League season, former goalkeeper Rob Green bemoaned the lack of leaders in Graham Potter’s squad.
While Jarrod Bowen continues to lead by example – the skipper certainly didn’t let his head drop even as Chelsea ran riot – why did he appear the only member of Graham Potter’s team capable of wrestling back some semblance of control?
Rob Green was left with a very nasty feeling that West Ham United would end up regretting their decision to let Vladimir Coufal, Lukasz Fabianski, Michail Antonio, Aaron Cresswell and Danny Ings go in the space of one transfer window.
Five players who had amassed over 1,000 appearances across a combined 35 years of service. And that is without mentioning a certain former Hammers skipper. Kurt Zouma moved to Romanian giants CFR Cluj in a shock deal this week, two months after his contract expired.
Yet, just days after that Chelsea debacle, the Hammers would spend a fee in the region of £40 million bringing Mateus Fernandes to the English capital from Southampton.
And while a 21-year-old brand new to the city should not really be expected to become a vocal presence in the dressing room right from the off, Fernandes clearly possesses what those in the business call ‘captain’s material’.
Graham Potter and Mateus Fernandes after Nottingham Forest v West Ham United - Premier League
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West Ham United newbie Mateus Fernandes made Portugal Under-21 captain
When bidding farewell to the Algarve-born action man last week, Southampton coach Will Still admitted that the 2026 World Cup was a key target for Mateus Fernandes.
For now, the Sporting Lisbon academy graduate will have to remain content with a place in his nation’s Under-21 roster. Though, after Portugal boss Roberto Martinez admitted that Fernandes is now within touching distance of a maiden call-up, the West Ham newbie reached another landmark on Thursday.
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Fernandes will captain Portugal’s Under-21s when they face Azerbaijan in a European Championship qualifier on Friday.
“I can reveal that I’m one of the captains,” a delighted Fernandes told the official Portuguese Football Federation website. “I have a new responsibility that I’ve accepted with great pleasure.
“It’s something I’ve been working on. It’s important to have leaders on the teams. I’ve always tried to stay close to the captains throughout my career because they’re the people who try to help with the group’s ups and downs.
“The team is completely different from the one we had two years ago. It’s up to the guys who have been there longer to help the younger players.”
Fernandes can achieve his childhood ‘dream’ on Friday vs Azerbaijan
With 16, Mateus Fernandes is the most capped player in the current Portugal roster. No fewer than twelve of his teammates will be hoping to make their Under-21 debuts against Azerbaijan, Fernandes therefore one of the relative elder statesmen alongside ex-Man City starlet Carlos Forbs and Chelsea duo Geovany Quenda and Dario Essugo.
“It’s a new phase for many players, the staff, and the team itself,” adds Fernandes. “We want to win and assert our identity. The team tried to help the staff, and vice versa. We’re very motivated to represent our team. It’s a unique moment in our careers.
“Representing the national team is something unique, regardless of level. It’s something every child dreams of.”
Another season of regular Premier League football should do Fernandes’ hopes of making the step up to Martinez’s first-team squad no harm at all, especially if he builds on a fine start in Hammers colours.
Martinez, after revealing that Fernandes was ‘close’ to a senior Portugal cap, will have been impressed as the West Ham newbie presented himself as ‘the’ answer [to Graham Potter’s] midfield’ at the City Ground.