It was a signing Graham Potter prioritised and one he had no intention of missing out on as the closure of summer transfer window approached.
In June, West Ham United's head coach identified Mateus Fernandes as a top transfer target. The 21-year-old midfielder was part of the Southampton side which suffered relegation to the Championship last season but this did not deter Potter, who felt Fernandes would be a key addition. Two months later, West Ham saw their opening offer worth up to £30million including add-ons fall short of Southampton's valuation.
At one point the deal was off but talks resumed before last week's Carabao Cup defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers and a deal worth £38million ($51.3m) with £3m worth of potential add-ons and a 15 per cent sell-on clause was finalised on August 28.
The Portugal youth international, who signed a five-year contract, was one of seven first-team summer signings at West Ham alongside El Hadji Malick Diouf, Mads Hermansen, Kyle Walker-Peters, Callum Wilson, Jean-Clair Todibo and Soungoutou Magassa.
An extensive rebuild was always on the cards for Potter following the departures of stalwarts Lukasz Fabianski, Aaron Cresswell, Vladimir Coufal, Kurt Zouma and Michail Antonio, after the expiry of all of their contracts in June.
West Ham spent around £125million this summer in a window which Potter stamped his mark over his squad but there were unsettling moments along the way, including Mohammed Kudus joining rivals Tottenham Hotspur for £55m. The north Londoners first expressed interest in July and West Ham turned down their opening bid of £50m. The club's hierarchy were initially reluctant to accept offers less than £60m, but Tottenham were the only club to make a formal offer for the Ghanaian.
Kudus, who joined from Ajax for £38m in August 2023, was unhappy at West Ham and wanted to leave after his debut season. He registered 15 goals and nine assists across 47 appearances. Clubs enquired about his availability in the summer of 2024 but their advances were rejected. It was always Kudus's intention to leave this window.
But after losing one big star, West Ham had no intention in losing another in Lucas Paqueta. Aston Villa held talks over signing the playmaker but West Ham had no plans to sell the Brazil international. Paqueta, who learned that he would face no punishment from the FA for spot-fixing charges in July after a two-year investigation, debunked any further doubt about his commitment, mimicking rejecting a phone call during his goal celebration against Nottingham Forest and kissing the West Ham badge.
Another challenge Potter faced was West Ham missing out on a number of targets. The club were reluctant to meet Liverpool's valuation for Harvey Elliott, who yesterday joined Aston Villa on loan with an obligation to make the transfer permanent next summer. Douglas Luiz, formerly of Aston Villa was among their midfield targets but he chose to join Forest on a season-long from Juventus. West Ham were also interested in Manchester City's England Under-21 international James McAtee, who also signed for Forest in a permanent deal on August 16.
Other midfield targets included Tyler Morton, who joined Lyon from Liverpool, while Ardon Jashari who went to Milan from Club Brugge.
Before his side's 5-1 home loss to Chelsea on August 21, Potter hinted at his frustration and said that the club's previous transfer policy hindered their activity this summer. Following the closure of the window, West Ham remain short of options in central defence and attack.
As far as the former department is concerned, they did land Brazilian defender Igor Julio, who had also been chased by Crystal Palace, on a season-long loan from Brighton & Hove Albion on deadline day.
One of Potter's first acts of the summer was to sign Diouf, 20, for £19m from Czech side Slavia Prague. The recruitment team scouted the promising left-back for a year before his arrival. West Ham's scouts were in attendance when Diouf nullified Bukayo Saka's impact as Senegal beat England in a friendly in June -- which is when they felt it was crucial to push ahead with securing his signature.
Diouf's understudy is academy graduate Ollie Scarles. In May, previous first-choice left-back Emerson Palmieri, 31, was informed he was not part of the club's plans. The Italian had interest from a host of European clubs but opted to join Marseille.
Potter was keen to bolster his defensive options further. Kyle Walker-Peters, who was released by Southampton in June after the expiry of his deal, was a longstanding target and his potential switch to Bestikas forced West Ham to intervene. The versatile defender received a contract offer from the Turkish side in July but they withdrew their offer after Walker-Peters delayed his medical, having been made aware of West Ham's interest.
The defender was due to travel to Istanbul with an in-principle agreement in place, but remained in the UK to finalise a three-year contract with Potter's side.
Midfielder James Ward-Prowse also provided a glowing reference of Walker-Peter's character to the head coach. In June, West Ham converted Todibo's season-long loan from Nice for £32.8million (€39m; $44.3m). The 25-year-old defender, who signed a five-year deal, initially joined in August 2024, with an obligation to buy. West Ham retaining their Premier League status ensured the clause was activated.
Off the field, Potter also felt it was necessary to make more changes. The head coach appointed James Bell as a sports psychologist to assist his squad in managing stressful situations better. Given the number of dressing-room incidents last season, Potter has been keen to have a harmonious environment. He appointed Casper Ankergren and assistant Linus Kandolin as goalkeeper coaches following Xavi Valero's departure to Liverpool.
Ankergren had a role to play in Hermansen's arrival from Leicester City, with the pair having previously worked together at Danish side Brondby. Following Fabianski's departure, Alphonse Areola and Wes Foderingham were the only two senior goalkeepers. Michael Cooper, the Sheffield United shot-stopper, also featured on the club's shortlist but their initial first-choice target was Botafogo goalkeeper John Victor: another player who ended the window at Forest. However, they eventually sealed a deal to sign Hermansen from Leicester in a £19m switch.
Striker Wilson, who had left Newcastle United as a free agent, signed a one-year deal to effectively replace the departed Antonio and scored his first West Ham goal in the 3-0 away win against Forest.
The main outgoings on deadline day were Palmieri and Nayef Aguerd, who is set to join Marseille. The latter returned to the London Stadium this summer after a season-long loan at Real Sociedad last season. Potter valued his leadership capabilities but the Moroccan, who joined West Ham from Rennes in 2022, had no intention of remaining in east London beyond the closure of the window. While Aguerd's departure was anticipated, the club firmly rejected Everton's advances for midfielder Soucek. David Moyes, the Everton and former West Ham manager, wanted to be reunited with the Czech Republic international. But West Ham's stance was simple: Soucek was not for sale.
Edson Alvarez, however, did not feature in Potter's plans, which led to the midfielder's loan move to Fenerbahce. Although the deal features the option to buy, West Ham's hierarchy do not believe the clause will be activated. Andy Irving had interest from Wrexham and Leicester City, but he did not want to drop to the Championship.
Academy graduates Kalean Casey and Lewis Orford joined EFL clubs on season-long loans. Promising midfielder George Earthy opted against a temporary stay to fight for his place in the team. The 20-year-old's current deal expires at the end of the season.
It was an eventful summer for Potter and one he will hope leads to improved performances in the coming weeks. He was under scrutiny following a disappointing start to the campaign with defeats to Sunderland, Chelsea and Wolves, but victory against Forest was a step in the right direction. Now the team has to show that their new-found fight was not short-lived.