When West Ham United kick off away at Chelsea this Saturday, Liam Rosenior’s hosts might not be the only side with a £100 million midfielder on the Stamford Bridge turf.
The Hammers will likely come up against a Chelsea engine room, containing Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, which set their London neighbours back a staggering £220 million.
The two-time Champions League winners are therefore responsible for two of the six nine-figure transfers in the history of England’s top flight. Who takes that tally to seven – following in the footsteps of Caicedo, Fernandez, Florian Wirtz, Jack Grealish, Alexander Isak and former West Ham United captain Declan Rice – remains to be seen.
Lucas Paqueta becomes our 4th BIGGEST sale ever! 💰
But what do YOU think about the transfer fee? Good business, or daylight robbery?
Declan Rice of Arsenal celebrates at the end of the match of the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD7 match between FC Internazionale Milano and Arsenal FC at Stadio San Siro on January 20, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
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Now, you certainly won’t thank us for mentioning the word ‘transfer’ in relation to Mateus Fernandes.
But five weeks after Hammers News suggested that Nuno Espirito Santo may have the next £100 million footballer in his midst, the Portuguese prancer has stepped up to an all-new plane of sporting excellence.
Adam Wharton, Carlos Baleba and Elliott Anderson are the three midfielders most commonly mentioned when discussing who could be the latest to break the £100 million barrier. Right now, Mateus Fernandes is performing better than any of them.
Another stellar showing up against Caicedo, Fernandez and Cole Palmer at Stamford Bridge, well, then it may be time to discuss how masterful Matty stacks up against Rice when he was only 21 years of age and patrolling the centre of the park in claret and blue..
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Mateus Fernandes is outperforming Cole Palmer as West Ham United face Chelsea
It surely goes without saying that Fernandes is the most complete midfielder West Ham have had since Rice. Only Ollie Scarles averages more tackles per game than him, while no one has provided more key passes or created more chances.
Only 19 players have created more assists than him of all the midfielders in the Premier League this season. Most of those take set-pieces too, like Bruno Fernandes, Granit Xhaka, Anton Stach and, of course, Rice himself.
Fernandes’ excellence tends to come from open play.
Mateus Fernandes hypes up the fans during West Ham's Premier League game against Sunderland.
Photo by Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Now, comparing him with Chelsea’s chief creator – the aforementioned Cole Palmer – may feel somewhat harsh given that the Stamford Bridge schemer has only started ten matches due to injury.
Yet, the statistics show that Fernandes is still providing twice as many key passes per game on average.
Per FotMob, he also sits an impressive 46th in the Premier League when it comes to his individual, seasonal rating. Palmer is 135th.
According to Data MB, Fernandes is vastly outperforming his Chelsea counterpart as well when it comes to progressive passes. In terms of ‘duels won’, the former Southampton ace sits in the 78th percentile. Caicedo, arguably the best ball-winning midfielder in the division, is only slightly ahead of him in the 84th.
In an era where the very top clubs tend to look for midfielders who can do it all – tackle, pass, score, create, dribble – and are willing to pay in excess of £80 and sometimes even £100 million to get it, Fernandes looks every bit worthy of being mentioned in the same sentence of that golden trio of Baleba, Anderson and Wharton.
Where does Mateus Fernandes rank now among the BEST Prem midfielders? 🇵🇹
He is leaving Cole Palmer for dead…
Top image, Mateus Fernandes of West Ham United reacts during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Sunderland at London Stadium on January 24, 2026 in London, England. Bottom image, Cole Palmer celebrates scoring Chelsea's second goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Brentford at Stamford Bridge on January 17, 2026 in London, England.
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Fernandes is a £100m player in waiting as Real Madrid rumours begin
No one wants to imagine a sale, of course. But, this month alone, Fernandes has been linked with Real Madrid, Manchester City and Man United. The inevitable result of his mesmerising start to 2026, and something West Ham will simply have to get used to.
While club insider Sean Whetstone has poured cold water on those Real Madrid rumours, the Hammers can allow themselves to be bold enough to say ‘£100 million or nothing’ when Europe’s A-listers do come knocking.
“I try to control and the manager, he asked for me to control the middle of the park,” the man himself said following that 3-1 victory over Sunderland last weekend. A day in which Mateus Fernandes beat the oft-unbeatable Robin Roefs with a goal of such immaculate quality.
“I think it’s the most important area on the pitch because you control the timing of the game, you control the attacks, when you defend. So, this is my position. I enjoy every minute when I play in midfield.
“[The goal] was unbelievable! It was my first goal from outside of the box, so I’m very happy. It’s a thing I started to learn on the training ground. I started to do it on training sessions, so I need to try more in the games because I can shoot well.
“It gives me confidence for the next games and I’ll try to shoot more!”
Robert Sanchez, you have been warned.
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