Credit: Breaking Media/Manh Tung

Jacob Raw

Wed 27 May 2026 9:10, UK

Mateus Fernandes looks set to break the record for being the most expensive sale in the history of the Championship, with his West Ham United exit expected.

The Hammers only signed the midfielder from newly-relegated Southampton last summer in a deal worth £40million, which ranked as one of the highest sales in English second-tier history.

Fast forward nearly 12 months, and it’s David Sullivan who will this time be needing a mega clearout, as The Telegraph have reported that the Irons need to raise £150m in player sales to balance the books in E20 this summer.

While Nuno Espirito Santo‘s future remains up in the air, work will be going on behind the scenes to prepare the Hammers to have a squad that can compete for promotion, regardless of who’s in charge.

Fernandes is expected to leave West Ham and looks to be the club’s most valuable asset heading into what will be a crucial summer transfer window.

West Ham to break £53m Championship record with Mateus Fernandes sale?

Fernandes has attracted interest from multiple Premier League clubs already, as well as some European outfits.

The 21-year-old managed to emerge as a key player for the Irons despite a disastrous season, and has earned the right to continue playing in the Premier League.

It’s not known what the Hammers specifically value Fernandes at. There have been ludicrous suggestions of £80m thrown about, but would that be so crazy, all things considered?

Regardless, Paddy Keogh, founder of Attacking Footy, has reported that West Ham expect the sale of Fernandes will be more than the current Championship record exit of Romeo Lavia, with “big money anticipated”.

The Belgian left the Saints to join Chelsea in a deal worth £53million before potential add-ons, and it’s been suggested that relegation will not make Fernandes a cheap option for interested buyers.

Anything above £53m would be a Championship record sale, and West Ham could cut more than a third of their target to raise £150m from player departures alone.

West Ham already have in-house Mateus Fernandes replacement

Depending on whether Nuno stays or not, West Ham may just continue with a midfield pivot of two in the Championship.

A 4-2-3-1 formation is regularly seen from sides who come down from the Premier League, and those that are hopeful of gaining promotion by being a dominant, forward-thinking side.

Nuno has deployed this setup many times already at the London Stadium, but with Fernandes potentially leaving, the Hammers may feel the need to go out and spend to replace him. But they already have Freddie Potts.

The Rush Green graduate already has a season of Championship football under his belt, helping keep Portsmouth up after their first season back in the second tier during the 2024-25 campaign.

Potts has been labelled as a future West Ham captain, and maybe it’s meant to be that the Hammers were relegated, because this could give a chance for future stars to start their careers in E20.