Credit: Imago

James Barker

Mon 16 March 2026 14:10, UK

Emmanuel Fernandez was in action for Rangers against St Mirren on Sunday, as West Ham United have already seemingly got a close eye on their summer transfer plans.

According to a report on Sunday from journalist Alan Nixon via Patreon, West Ham are tracking the progress of Rangers defender Fernandez ahead of the summer window.

Nixon’s report claims that the Glaswegian giants would be willing to sell the central defender at the right price, after only joining them from Peterborough United in this season’s summer transfer window.

However, West Ham won’t know what kind of transfer business they can do yet due to their ongoing Premier League relegation battle, with Fernandez surely only a realistic target if they stay up.

Emmanuel Fernandez showed his class for Rangers vs St Mirren

Fernandez is a player in demand, with clubs such as Chelsea, Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund all having been credited with an interest in him recently.

As such, getting a deal done for the big defender looks set to be a complicated one for West Ham, should they indeed be looking into the possibility.

But, if any West Ham decision-makers were tuned into Rangers’ Scottish Premiership clash with St Mirren on Sunday, their appetite for his signature will only have grown.

As per Sofascore, Fernandez won all of his four tackle attempts and five ground duels against St Mirren, made four clearances and five recoveries too.

The 24-year-old also completed 81 per cent of his pass attempts successfully, with a 96 per cent completion percentage from passes inside of his own half (27/28).

Fernandez took 58 touches in the match, made 10 carries with the ball, took one shot on goal and completed his lone dribble attempt successfully too.

Rangers only won the game 1-0 too, and so his defensive performance helped ensure St Mirren didn’t punish a sloppy Gers attacking display on the day, in what was a crucial win for them in the Scottish Premiership title race.

Fernandez could be foundational player for West Ham

Regardless of what division West Ham are plying their trade in for 2026-27, a defensive rebuild looks to be in order at the London Stadium.

Axel Disasi is currently scheduled to return to Chelsea following the expiration of his loan deal, and Max Kilman is surely a player the Hammers will look to move on from.

Meanwhile, West Ham could face interest in the likes of Konstantinos Mavropanos and Jean-Clair Todibo, who have both been consistently good for the Hammers this season.

So, a young and ascending centre-back like Fernandez could be a cornerstone of West Ham’s defence of the future, and he certainly appears ready to meet the challenge of Premier League football.

Also, despite his signature seemingly set to be a highly-coveted one, top clubs may not be able to offer him a guaranteed starting role, whereas West Ham may well be able to, and that could be a significant draw for him.

If the Hammers are able to survive this season, then they should still be able to put a strong sales pitch across to Fernandez, and if they do, they could land a key part of their backline for many years to come.