Manchester United's decision not to meet West Ham's £85million valuation for Mateus Fernandes in the summer looks increasingly justified, but the jury remains out on the two midfielders signed with that money instead.
Fernandes, who joined Tottenham Hotspur for the full fee, arrives at Old Trafford on Saturday with a point to prove to his own manager and to the club that deemed him not worth the asking price. United had pivoted to the Portuguese midfielder after missing out on Elliot Anderson, with Fernandes leaving West Ham following their relegation to the Championship.
The Hammers held firm over their valuation and got their pay day when Tottenham committed to the fee, while United were only willing to reach it through add-ons. Fernandes, who has suffered back-to-back relegations with Southampton and West Ham, was keen to join a club that had narrowly avoided the drop in successive seasons.
Difficult start at Spurs
After five games of the season, the story is familiar for Fernandes and for Spurs. Tottenham are rooted to the foot of the table, and the 22-year-old was substituted at half-time in their defeat to Aston Villa before the international break. He has started just three of Tottenham's five Premier League games and has gone beyond 63 minutes on only one occasion.
Roberto De Zerbi explained the decision after the Villa loss: "I have big confidence in Mateus but I did not like the performance of Mateus today. It's not an attack of him, I love him, but for Mateus, we need more from Mateus in that position."
United admired Fernandes, with a pursuit encouraged by captain Bruno Fernandes, but they had reservations about the price tag and felt he was not fully committed to joining the club. In recent windows, United have placed increasing importance on targets making clear they want to join. They never got the sense Fernandes was all-in on Old Trafford, and had he been, they might have been more willing to raise the budget.
Replacement duo yet to convince
Instead, the £85million went on two midfielders rather than one. Andrey Santos arrived for £50million from Chelsea, where he could not break into the first team. Despite a promising pre-season, he looks no closer to doing so at United, having been replaced after 67 and 66 minutes in his only two starts and playing just 16 minutes of Premier League football since the opening day.
Michael Carrick spoke glowingly of Santos in pre-season, and his partnership with Mason Mount flourished early in the summer, but the 22-year-old has found competitive action tougher. With Carlos Baleba now fit, his route into the first team looks difficult.
Youri Tielemans has been a regular starter, with glimpses of partnerships developing with Kobbie Mainoo and Fernandes, but the Belgium captain has not been able to control games as United envisaged. At £35million, Tielemans still feels like value, though questions remain over his longevity as he turns 30 in the final weeks of the season after playing first-team football since he was 16.
United's decision to overlook Fernandes made sense at the time and looks even wiser now. Over time, they will hope the greater depth offered by Santos and Tielemans proves to be £85million well spent.
