Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Mateus Fernandes standing next to Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi in the pouring rain at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Mateus Fernandes is struggling for minutes under Roberto De Zerbi.Manh Tung - Breaking Media

Mateus Fernandes alarm bells ringing after what happened in Tottenham's win vs Coventry

Senior Correspondent AUTHORITY Senior football journalist specialising in refereeing and officiating; former contributor to The Football League Paper, Late Tackle, and the Premier League; University of Derby graduate. FOCUS Refereeing controversies, football finance and governance, PGMOL decisions, and officiating analysis across the Premier League, EFL, and SPFL. THE INSIGHT Harri utilises a network of officiating and industry contacts to deliver verified, expert analysis of refereeing decisions and PGMOL policy. He provides the regulatory clarity behind the controversy to ensure fans get the full picture.

Published on:

20 Oct 2026, 6:30 pm

Mateus Fernandes' future should not be a talking point just months into his spell at Tottenham Hotspur.

Yet, after arriving from West Ham United for £85million, supporters across the Premier League can't help but debate the midfielder's situation.

The 22-year-old has already fallen down Roberto De Zerbi's pecking order in North London, with just three league starts to his name so far.

Spurs' clash with Coventry City would have been the perfect chance for him to prove himself in the middle of the park, but he was forced to settle for the bench instead.

In fact, he was only given the last 20 minutes, replacing Tosin Adarabioyo in Spurs' 3-1 win on Monday, 19 October, and he still offered very little.

Fans should be worried his future already, as De Zerbi already appears to have made his mind up on the new signing just months after signing him.

Mateus Fernandes is a huge concern

De Zerbi utilised a very different set-up against the Sky Blues, with Adarabioyo featuring at right-back, and Archie Gray joining James Maddison in midfield.

Even with Rodrigo Bentancur suspended and Lucas Bergvall injured, Fernandes still couldn't force his way into the starting lineup.

And when he did come on, the 22-year-old created no chances, had one shot, was dispossessed once, dribbled past once, and won zero per cent of his ground duels [FotMob].

Conor Gallagher was called on first for fresh legs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which says everything fans need to know about the midfielder.

With Dejan Kulusevski returning from injury, Fernandes is going to find it even more difficult to secure minutes under De Zerbi.

Was the £85m price tag worth it? Maybe it's too early to tell.

Tottenham messed up badly over Mateus Fernandes deal, De Zerbi is rightly furious

Ex-Tottenham scout delivers withering assessment of Mateus Fernandes

What does an ex-Tottenham scout think?

Against Aston Villa, he was subbed off at half-time. Against Manchester United, he came on in the 89th minute. And it wasn't much better against Coventry.

Bryan King, a former scout for Spurs, Everton and Villa, exclusively told Football Insider that he has major concerns over the big-money signing.

That sentiment is likely to be shared by the match-going fans in North London, who continues to watch him snubbed by the manager.

Only time will tell if he can turn his fortunes around at Tottenham, but the early signs don't look good at all.

Roberto De Zerbi