Tottenham spent €98m (£85m) on Mateus Fernandes in the summer, but the midfielder’s first few months in North London haven’t exactly gone to plan.
His own performances have come under scrutiny during a difficult start for Spurs as a whole. Things haven’t moved particularly quickly for him with Portugal either.
Fernandes missed out on Roberto Martínez’s squad for the World Cup in the summer. A change of manager could have given him another route into the senior side, but Jorge Jesus also left him out of his first selection. For now, the 21-year-old is back with Portugal’s U21s.
So what exactly is going on? Looking at what’s been said in Portugal over the past week, the picture is probably less worrying than it might initially appear.
Portugal aren’t giving up on him
Jorge Jesus was directly asked about Fernandes and some of Portugal’s other highly-rated youngsters when announcing his first squad.
The new manager confirmed they remain under observation and explained that he regularly discusses them with U21 boss Luís Freire.
“The players you just mentioned have also been under our observation,” Jesus said.
“I’ve spoken with U21 manager Luís Freire many times. At this stage, I believe the younger players you mentioned still haven’t had their opportunity.”
“I focus on the present, and I also focus on the future. That’s why I made this decision.”
It’s hardly a door being slammed shut. Jesus has largely opted for continuity with the squad he inherited after the World Cup. Only four new faces were included in his first selection, so Fernandes isn’t alone in having to wait.
There’s also a clear line of communication between the senior and U21 setups. Freire confirmed that Fernandes is being followed by Jesus and suggested the midfielder now has the perfect opportunity to make his case from below.
“Mateus Fernandes and Rodrigo Mora? More than having a group of big names and great individuals, because we have a lot of individual quality, we’re focused on building great teams,” he said.
“For that, we need great players. That feeling of connection and the team culture have to come before individual objectives.”
“If we can do that, we can be candidates to win games and win trophies. Once we’re at the European Championship, we’ll want to win it, but the most important thing is winning now.”
“Mateus and Mora are being monitored by Jorge Jesus and they have a great space here to prove their worth. They’re very motivated to help the U21s. The responsibility of representing Portugal is always the same.”
| Statistic | 2025/26 · West Ham | 2026/27 so far · Tottenham |
|---|---|---|
| Appearances (starts) | 36 (35) | 5 (3) |
| Minutes | 3,024 | 250 |
| Pass completion | 87.5% | 95.3% |
| Completed passes per 90 | 40.7 | 58.7 |
| Long-ball completion | 61.5% | 90.9% |
| Line-breaking passes per 90 | 7.0 | 10.8 |
| Tackles | 103 | 7 |
| Tackles per 90 | 3.1 | 2.5 |
| Interceptions | 35 | 2 |
| Interceptions per 90 | 1.0 | 0.7 |
| Recoveries per 90 | 5.4 | 4.3 |
| Goals / assists | 3 / 4 | 0 / 0 |
€98m brings a different kind of pressure
There is, of course, another side to this. Fernandes isn’t just another 21-year-old waiting patiently for his senior international breakthrough anymore.
Tottenham paid €98m (£85m) for him in the summer. That price changes expectations, particularly after his excellent development in England had previously taken him into the senior Portugal picture.
The start at Spurs hasn’t helped. A Bola addressed Jesus’ choices this week and specifically mentioned Fernandes among the expensive young Portuguese players currently struggling for senior international recognition.
Their assessment was quite direct: Fernandes is “under fire at Tottenham”, so there is no reason to rush things now.
Yet the newspaper’s wider argument was that Jesus’ decisions shouldn’t cause too much concern at this stage. His first squad appears to be more about establishing his own ideas than immediately changing personnel.
In Portugal, then, nobody appears to be writing him off. For a player whose stock rose incredibly quickly over the last couple of years, this is just the first time he’s being asked to slow down a bit.
