Mateus Fernandes’ West Ham move from Southampton questioned - “total shambles” claim made | OneFootball

FLW's Southampton Fan Pundit has expressed his disappointment following the £38m agreement

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Southampton are set to have a busy end to the summer transfer window after being noticeably quiet for most of it, and that's in terms of both incomings and outgoings.

Following on from Tyler Dibling's move to Everton earlier in the week, West Ham United have reportedly agreed a deal with the Saints for an initial £38 million - which could rise to £42 million - to sign midfielder Mateus Fernandes.

Pending a successful medical, the Portuguese midfielder will link up with Graham Potter in what is the second big sale of the summer for Will Still's Southampton.

Fernandes joined the Saints from Sporting CP last summer and made 36 league appearances during their relegation campaign from the Premier League, netting two goals and four assists.

Mateus Fernandes departing Southampton to join West Ham is a "strange move"

FLW's Southampton Fan Pundit, Martin Sanders, has expressed his disappointment following the £38m agreement for Mateus Fernandes with West Ham.

Sanders' frustration stems from not just losing a promising talent, but on the destination itself, telling FLW: "I’m gutted. Really disappointed he’s going - unbelievable really.

"He’s a great player - I think we all wanted to keep him.

"For him, it’s a strange move isn’t it? A club that looks like they’re going to struggle this season, they look a total shambles at this moment in time, very similar to what Southampton were last year.

"So, I'm guessing it’s about salary and money. Now, that’s how you feel in football sometimes - do players go because they're ambitious about playing for a certain club?

"The atmosphere at the London Stadium is woeful, I'm not sure why any professional footballer would want to go there - that’s me being really outspoken."

Southampton claimed to be "trying to balance the books" by signing Mateus Fernandes replacements

Southampton have seemingly moved swiftly to find replacements, though it's unsure if all of the money will be put back into the squad.

The club has reportedly agreed an initial £12m deal for Middlesbrough's Finn Azaz who has 17 goals and 17 assists in 68 appearances.

Despite both being attack-minded midfielders, it is worth noting that Fernandes has never outscored Azaz in any full-season of professional football, even if the leagues haven't been of equal quality.

Additionally, the Saints are also finalising a £10m move for West Bromwich Albion winger Tom Fellows. Each of these deals suggest they're trying to replace Fernandes and Dibling's creativity with proven second-tier players.

"I wonder what the plans are. Tom Fellows looks like he’s coming in, Finn Azaz - so I don’t think they’re trying to sell up, I think they’re trying to balance the books without having to invest money," Sanders concluded, perhaps trying to work out what owner, Dragan Solak, will do with the rest of the Fernandes money.

Southampton are 10th in the second-tier after three games, having bounced back from a 2-1 home defeat to current league leaders Stoke City to thrash Norwich City 3-0 at Carrow Road.

It's pretty obvious that Will Still is still in the process of seeing what works and what doesn't, but he'll surely be hoping Azaz and Fellows can continue to push them higher up the table.