Paris Saint-German raided the Premier League for Illia Zabarnyi last summer.
The Ukrainian was part of a mass Bournemouth exodus. Milos Kerkez, Kepa and Dean Huijsen all departed the Vitality Stadium for pastures new. Zabarnyi, though, hasn’t exactly set Ligue 1 alight.
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He hardly covered himself in glory with a sub-par showing in a 2-1 home defeat to Lyon earlier this month. While PSG bounced back with a 3-0 win over Nantes to re-establish a four-point lead at the top of the table, the Lyon reverse re-ignited the Ligue 1 title race.
PSG linked with Fernandes
PSG, then, will be hoping a potential future raid of England’s top tier will do more good than harm. Reports this week suggest that West Ham star Mateus Fernandes has emerged as a top target for the Parisian powerhouse.
Fernandes has excelled since swapping the south coast for east London last year. The former Sporting man was a bright spot in a dreary season for Southampton. The Hammers saw enough to bring him to the London Stadium.
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And as West Ham battle to beat the drop, Fernandes is the driving force behind their survival hopes. Forget Jarrod Bowen and his goals, and Konstantinos Mavropanos and his defensive solidity. Fernandes is the standout performer in Claret and Blue. It’s not a surprise that bigger fish are showing an interest in the former Sporting man.
How would Fernandes fit in at PSG?
That being said, PSG supposedly showing a liking in Fernandes is something of a surprise. And that’s because of the midfielders that Luis Enrique presently has at his disposal.
It’s no secret that PSG look to dominate opponents. A 69.4% possession return is the highest in Europe’s top five leagues this season. The central midfielders are key in that regard.
With a pass accuracy of 92.2%, Joao Neves is the ‘worst’ distributor of the three central midfielders available to Luis Enrique. Vitinha (93.9%) is the best, with Fabian Ruiz (92.4%) sandwiched between the pair. By comparison, Fernandes (87.8%) falls a little below the trio.
Of course, much of that will be down to the difference in how West Ham and PSG set up. Whereas the latter dominate, the former adopt a reactive gameplan under Nuno Espirito Santo. A 42.1% possession haul is the second lowest in the Premier League and the 11th lowest in Europe’s top five leagues.
Defensive work stands out
With the onus on seeking to transition from defence to attack, it’s no wonder that Fernandes’ pass accuracy is lower than that of the options available to Enrique. It also may be that Enrique would want to add a more combative midfielder to allow his pass-masters to flourish.
In this instance, Fernandes would be a fine fit in the Parc des Princes. One of his key attributes is his defensive contribution. 85 tackles is the seventh most in England’s top tier this term. And a rate of three tackles per 90 is better than Vitinha (1.1), Neves (1.9) and Ruiz (1.1).
Again, this is due to the style of play implemented at both West Ham and PSG. The former require players to win possession quickly in order to spring forward at speed. The Hammers, after all, rank fourth for counter-attacking goals (6) in the 2025-26 Premier League campaign.
As such, having a ball-winner of Fernandes’ calibre is hugely beneficial to the way West Ham play. What’s more, the Portugal international is contesting more ground duels per 90 (9.6) than the PSG trio, though a 55.5% success rate is second to Vitinha (59.3%).
Even so, it’s a commendable return for the 21-year-old. And while there may be some distribution concerns, at Fernandes’ age, there is ample time to improve this quality to his game. In truth, it’s an area that would improve naturally playing in a side as dominant as PSG.
Neves the example to follow
Neves, for example, returned an 89.9% pass accuracy in his final season at Benfica. That has risen despite a negligible dip in the passes per 90 haul. Logic dictates that a similar Fernandes would see a rise in both accuracy and passes per 90 were he to swap London for Paris.
First things first, however. West Ham need Fernandes to focus on the task at hand. They need to stave off relegation and they head into the final stretch two points clear of 18th-placed Tottenham. Play his part in keeping the east London side afloat, and Fernandes’ stock will soar, not that he needs the additional push to prove his worth.
After all, he’s been arguably West Ham’s most important player this season. And his showings in the middle of the park have clearly not gone unnoticed.
