Roy Keane has backed Arsenal transfer target Mateus Fernandes over some of the biggest midfield names in the Premier League.
Taking part in The Overlap’s ‘winner stays on’ challenge, Keane picked Fernandes as the better midfielder over Alex Scott, Carlos Baleba, Casemiro and Ryan Gravenberch in successive head-to-heads, before choosing the West Ham man over Enzo Fernandez too.
Only Bernardo Silva proved a step too far.
Casemiro may be coming to the end of his days at the top level, but this is a guy who has won the Champions League five times with Real Madrid.
Enzo Fernandez, meanwhile, cost Chelsea £107 million and is a World Cup winner.
Keane, a seven-time Premier League winner, thinks the 21-year-old West Ham midfielder is already better than both of them.
As endorsements go, it’s not a bad one.
You’re Mikel Arteta…who is your NUMBER ONE big summer signing this year?
Mateus Fernandes is exactly the calibre of midfielder Arsenal should sign
The clip is actually from April, but has resurfaced following concrete reports that Arsenal are interested in signing Fernandes this summer.
West Ham would obviously rather keep him if they stay up, but financial fair play constraints would leave them with little choice in the event of relegation.
Keane’s assessment aligns neatly with what Arsenal clearly see in the player. Mikel Arteta prizes versatility and technical quality above almost everything else in his midfielders, and Fernandes offers both in abundance.
Able to play deeper or further forward, he is exactly the kind of jack-of-all-trades option that would complement Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi and Myles Lewis-Skelly in what could become one of the most competitive midfields in the country.
He is 21, with his best years ahead of him, but with a potential back-to-back relegation story that would almost mirror Aaron Ramsdale’s own journey to the Emirates.
Roy Keane, a man not historically known for just handing out compliments, clearly thinks so too.
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