{"id":1437694,"date":"2026-03-11T15:53:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T15:53:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=features&#038;p=1437694"},"modified":"2026-03-11T17:25:29","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T17:25:29","slug":"mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/","title":{"rendered":"Mateus Fernandes analysis: Why West Ham&#8217;s midfield maestro could keep them up"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/west-ham-united\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">West Ham United<\/a> currently sit in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/premier-league\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Premier League<\/a> relegation zone with nine games left to save their season.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s been a turbulent season for the Hammers. They started the campaign with Graham Potter before Nuno Espirito Santo took over at the back end of September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Hammers currently sit 18th on 28 points, and they&#8217;ll be looking at their remaining fixtures to see where they can get the required points to survive. And they&#8217;ll also be looking to Mateus Fernandes to help get them those points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>In this article, we&#8217;ll cover<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-season-so-far\" data-level=\"2\">Season so far<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-pass-master\" data-level=\"2\">Pass master<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-defensive-bite\" data-level=\"2\">Defensive bite<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-possible-move\" data-level=\"2\">Possible move?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-season-so-far\">Season so far<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Fernandes joined West Ham this summer from Southampton after the Saints were relegated in the 2024-25 campaign. The Portuguese star joined for around \u00a338million plus \u00a34m worth of add-ons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 21-year-old midfielder won both Southampton&#8217;s Player of the Season and their Fans&#8217; Player of the Season awards, being the clear stand out in a relatively poor Saints side last campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10145340\/player_-smart-radar-5-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1437707\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10145340\/player_-smart-radar-5-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10145340\/player_-smart-radar-5-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10145340\/player_-smart-radar-5-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10145340\/player_-smart-radar-5-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10145340\/player_-smart-radar-5-214x267.jpg 214w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10145340\/player_-smart-radar-5-160x200.jpg 160w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10145340\/player_-smart-radar-5-48x60.jpg 48w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10145340\/player_-smart-radar-5-120x150.jpg 120w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10145340\/player_-smart-radar-5-32x40.jpg 32w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10145340\/player_-smart-radar-5.jpg 1620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Fernandes has made 28 appearances since joining the club, scoring three goals and providing three assists across all competitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The versatile midfielder has shown the capacity to play out wide, in attacking areas and in a deeper midfield role. The latter coincides with the best of his form, platforming his best qualities and helping West Ham in key areas.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2>Betfred - Get \u00a350 in free bets when you bet \u00a310 + Place a \u00a310 EPL Bet Builder to get an extra \u00a310 Free Bet<\/h2>\r\n<ol>\r\n<li>Sign up at Betfred using <strong><a href=\"\/en\/go\/betfred?q=gb-all-rev-wof-s-spo\">this link<\/a><\/strong> or clicking the image below.<\/li>\r\n<li>Deposit a minimum of \u00a310 and place a bet of \u00a310+ on Sports<\/li>\r\n<li><span id=\"0\">Receive \u00a350 in Free Bets <\/span><span id=\"1\">within 10 hours of bet settlement<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<p><a href=\"\/en\/go\/betfred?q=gb-all-rev-wof-s-spo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1395281 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/15162343\/Screenshot-2025-08-15-162220-1024x498.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"498\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/15162343\/Screenshot-2025-08-15-162220-1024x498.png 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/15162343\/Screenshot-2025-08-15-162220-300x146.png 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/15162343\/Screenshot-2025-08-15-162220-768x373.png 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/15162343\/Screenshot-2025-08-15-162220-1536x747.png 1536w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/15162343\/Screenshot-2025-08-15-162220-400x195.png 400w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/15162343\/Screenshot-2025-08-15-162220-411x200.png 411w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/15162343\/Screenshot-2025-08-15-162220-123x60.png 123w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/15162343\/Screenshot-2025-08-15-162220-150x73.png 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/15162343\/Screenshot-2025-08-15-162220-40x19.png 40w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/15162343\/Screenshot-2025-08-15-162220.png 1682w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>New customers only. Register, deposit with Debit Card, and place first bet \u00a310+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get 3 x \u00a310 in Sports Free Bets &amp; 2 x \u00a310 in Acca Free Bets within 10 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility &amp; payment exclusions apply. Full T&amp;Cs apply.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-pass-master\">Pass master<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Fernandes is currently averaging the most passes completed for West Ham this season with 40.03 per 90 minutes. His passes attempted have gone up since Lucas Paqueta left the club in the January transfer window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since the Brazilian left the club, Fernandes has been given a clear freedom to control proceeding in the middle of the park, dropping between the central defenders to get on the ball and orchestrate from deep.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/11142350\/player_-pitch-5-stats-12-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1438123\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/11142350\/player_-pitch-5-stats-12-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/11142350\/player_-pitch-5-stats-12-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/11142350\/player_-pitch-5-stats-12-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/11142350\/player_-pitch-5-stats-12-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/11142350\/player_-pitch-5-stats-12-214x267.jpg 214w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/11142350\/player_-pitch-5-stats-12-160x200.jpg 160w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/11142350\/player_-pitch-5-stats-12-48x60.jpg 48w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/11142350\/player_-pitch-5-stats-12-120x150.jpg 120w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/11142350\/player_-pitch-5-stats-12-32x40.jpg 32w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/11142350\/player_-pitch-5-stats-12.jpg 1620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>His ability to connect passes and circulate possession, bait the opposition press and then find those line breaking passes or switches of play with his long passing range has been crucial for West Ham and their improvement over the past month or two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fernandes exudes confidence on the ball, willing to take it under pressure and find solutions to progress play, whether it be through his passing quality or his ability to carry the ball and manipulate his own progression angles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the 21-year-old isn&#8217;t just a luxury player on the ball. He also has the grit and bite that a Premier League midfielder needs to survive in the current tactical landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Fernandes has the most through ball completed for West Ham this season (5).<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fernandes has the most long passes completed for West Ham this season (117).<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fernandes has the second-most chances created for West Ham this season (28).<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-defensive-bite\">Defensive bite<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Fernandes is leading West Ham in tackles, possessions won in the defensive third and possessions won in the middle third, which has been a huge asset for the side this season. A big weakness last campaign was their lack of mobility in the middle of the park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Portuguese midfielder reads danger well, has the physical capacity to cover ground quickly and win those loose ball duels, helping West Ham protect against transitions, but also threaten in transition themselves once regaining possession.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10145400\/player_-pitch-5-stats-9-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1437709\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10145400\/player_-pitch-5-stats-9-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10145400\/player_-pitch-5-stats-9-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10145400\/player_-pitch-5-stats-9-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10145400\/player_-pitch-5-stats-9-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10145400\/player_-pitch-5-stats-9-214x267.jpg 214w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10145400\/player_-pitch-5-stats-9-160x200.jpg 160w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10145400\/player_-pitch-5-stats-9-48x60.jpg 48w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10145400\/player_-pitch-5-stats-9-120x150.jpg 120w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10145400\/player_-pitch-5-stats-9-32x40.jpg 32w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10145400\/player_-pitch-5-stats-9.jpg 1620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Fernandes plays with intensity in the press, putting the opposition under pressure and looking to force mistakes, helping West Ham to force turnovers in key areas and launch their own attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All of these defensive factors are vital for Premier League midfielders, as man to man pressing continues to rise in its popularity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Fernandes has the most possessions won in the defensive third for West Ham this season (70).<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fernandes has the most possessions won in the middle third for West Ham this season (55).<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fernandes has the second-most possessions won in the attacking third for West Ham this season (14).<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fernandes has made the most tackles for West Ham this season (75).<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-possible-move\">Possible move?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In an ever-evolving Premier League landscape which becomes increasingly physical, midfielders who can carry out a number of tactical demands are vital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Man-for-man pressing has become a key component for many clubs in the Premier League. So midfielders who can both carry out those out of possession demands, but also thrive on the ball under that level of pressure, are heavily desired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The likes of Elliot Anderson, Carlos Baleba and Adam Wharton are just a few names being heavily touted for big moves this summer. But Fernandes could be another option who suits the big sides perfectly, especially if West Ham are to go down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fernandes would be attainable at a good price should the Hammers fail to survive, making the Portugal midfielder a viable option for plenty of top sides, at a much cheaper price compared to the likes of Anderson, Baleba and Wharton.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3><strong>Read more:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/premier-league\/\"><strong>Premier League predictions &amp; tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/outright-markets\/premier-league-title-odds\/\"><strong>Premier League outright odds <\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/\"><strong>Latest football news<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best betting sites<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/best-free-bet-offers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best free bet offers<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/accumulator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football accumulator tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>West Ham United currently sit in the Premier League relegation zone with nine games left to save their season. It&#8217;s been a turbulent season for the Hammers. They started the campaign with Graham Potter before Nuno Espirito Santo took over at the back end of September. The Hammers currently sit 18th on 28 points, and&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3107,"featured_media":1437714,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"features-category":[],"class_list":["post-1437694","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Mateus Fernandes analysis: Why West Ham&#039;s midfield maestro could keep them up | Squawka | EN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mateus Fernandes analysis: Why West Ham&#039;s midfield maestro could keep them up\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"West Ham United currently sit in the Premier League relegation zone with nine games left to save their season. It&#8217;s been a turbulent season for the Hammers. They started the campaign with Graham Potter before Nuno Espirito Santo took over at the back end of September. The Hammers currently sit 18th on 28 points, and...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Squawka | EN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-11T17:25:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10150432\/MateusFernandes090326_ID3E00EFT-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1705\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@squawka\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Connor Holden\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/445e73decc43605cbf2878fdb0a67bcf\"},\"headline\":\"Mateus Fernandes analysis: Why West Ham&#8217;s midfield maestro could keep them up\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-11T15:53:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-11T17:25:29+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/\"},\"wordCount\":806,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10150432\/MateusFernandes090326_ID3E00EFT-scaled.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"accessibilityFeature\":[\"tableOfContents\"]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/\",\"name\":\"Mateus Fernandes analysis: Why West Ham's midfield maestro could keep them up | Squawka | EN\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10150432\/MateusFernandes090326_ID3E00EFT-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-11T15:53:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-11T17:25:29+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10150432\/MateusFernandes090326_ID3E00EFT-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10150432\/MateusFernandes090326_ID3E00EFT-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1705,\"caption\":\"3E00EFT London Stadium, Stratford on Monday 9th March 2026. Mateus Fernandes of West Ham United controls the ball during the Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round match between West Ham United and Brentford at the London Stadium, Stratford on Monday 9th March 2026. (Photo: Kevin Hodgson | MI News) Credit: MI News &amp; Sport \/Alamy Live News\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Squawka\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Features\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Mateus Fernandes analysis: Why West Ham&#8217;s midfield maestro could keep them up\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Squawka | EN\",\"description\":\"Football News, Stats, and More...\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/445e73decc43605cbf2878fdb0a67bcf\",\"name\":\"Connor Holden\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/19f0aae21316096372d223b9cbb8526f48c45cc294944dbd0d9d2401147cf253?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/19f0aae21316096372d223b9cbb8526f48c45cc294944dbd0d9d2401147cf253?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Connor Holden\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/author\/connorholden\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Mateus Fernandes analysis: Why West Ham's midfield maestro could keep them up | Squawka | EN","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Mateus Fernandes analysis: Why West Ham's midfield maestro could keep them up","og_description":"West Ham United currently sit in the Premier League relegation zone with nine games left to save their season. It&#8217;s been a turbulent season for the Hammers. They started the campaign with Graham Potter before Nuno Espirito Santo took over at the back end of September. The Hammers currently sit 18th on 28 points, and...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/","og_site_name":"Squawka | EN","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/","article_modified_time":"2026-03-11T17:25:29+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1705,"url":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10150432\/MateusFernandes090326_ID3E00EFT-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@squawka","twitter_misc":{"Estimated reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/"},"author":{"name":"Connor Holden","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/445e73decc43605cbf2878fdb0a67bcf"},"headline":"Mateus Fernandes analysis: Why West Ham&#8217;s midfield maestro could keep them up","datePublished":"2026-03-11T15:53:07+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-11T17:25:29+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/"},"wordCount":806,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10150432\/MateusFernandes090326_ID3E00EFT-scaled.jpg","inLanguage":"en-GB","accessibilityFeature":["tableOfContents"]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/","url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/","name":"Mateus Fernandes analysis: Why West Ham's midfield maestro could keep them up | Squawka | EN","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10150432\/MateusFernandes090326_ID3E00EFT-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-11T15:53:07+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-11T17:25:29+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10150432\/MateusFernandes090326_ID3E00EFT-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/10150432\/MateusFernandes090326_ID3E00EFT-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1705,"caption":"3E00EFT London Stadium, Stratford on Monday 9th March 2026. Mateus Fernandes of West Ham United controls the ball during the Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round match between West Ham United and Brentford at the London Stadium, Stratford on Monday 9th March 2026. (Photo: Kevin Hodgson | MI News) Credit: MI News &amp; Sport \/Alamy Live News"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/mateus-fernandes-analysis-west-ham-saviour\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Squawka","item":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Features","item":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Mateus Fernandes analysis: Why West Ham&#8217;s midfield maestro could keep them up"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/","name":"Squawka | EN","description":"Football News, Stats, and More...","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/445e73decc43605cbf2878fdb0a67bcf","name":"Connor Holden","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/19f0aae21316096372d223b9cbb8526f48c45cc294944dbd0d9d2401147cf253?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/19f0aae21316096372d223b9cbb8526f48c45cc294944dbd0d9d2401147cf253?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Connor Holden"},"url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/author\/connorholden\/"}]}},"yoast_title":"","yoast_description":"","yoast_keyword":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/features\/1437694","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/features"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/features"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3107"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/features\/1437694\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1437714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1437694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1437694"},{"taxonomy":"features-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/features-category?post=1437694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}