Southampton announced their 11th first-team signing of the summer on Monday night as Russell Martin welcomed Mateus Fernandes from Sporting.
Russell Martin has been keen to sign an attacking midfielder for Southampton this summer.
36-year-old Adam Lallana arrived for free at the start of the transfer window but did not feature in pre-season due to injury and was never expected to play on a regular basis even when fit.
Stuart Armstrong left Southampton following the expiration of his contract at the end of June, leaving Martin short on options at attacking midfield.
That saw Southampton pursue moves for Fabio Carvalho and Matt O’Riley, but Carvalho instead joined Brentford in a £27.5 million deal and Celtic’s £30 million asking price for O’Riley looks to have been considered too steep.
This led the Saints to turn their attention to Sporting midfielder Mateus Fernandes who impressed whilst on loan at Estoril last season from the Lisbon club.
That deal was completed on Monday night, with Southampton confirming the £15 million deal.
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Mateus Fernandes signing could see Carlos Alcaraz leave Southampton
Fernandes is primarily an attacking midfielder but played in a deeper role at Estoril last season, showing that he can be an adaptable member of Martin’s midfield.
Playing at the base of the Estoril midfield last season, Fernandes scored once and provided three assists in all competitions but has scored two goals in seven games for Portugal under-21s playing more advanced.
The 20-year-old’s arrival could have consequences for a current member of Martin’s squad, with Fernandes likely to be a direct rival to Carlos Alcaraz for game time.
Alcaraz has endured a summer of uncertainty following his return from a six month loan at Juventus at the back end of last season.
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The 21-year-old saw Juve pass up their option to sign him for around £42 million before returning to Southampton for pre-season where he looked bright, impressing against Lazio in particular despite being sent off
With Fernandes’s arrival adding to Lallana and Lesley Ogochukwu, the Southampton midfield suddenly looks very congested and this could see Alcaraz pushed towards an exit.
Southampton would prefer Alcaraz sale this summer
Alcaraz has been linked with a move away all summer but came off the bench as Southampton chased a goal in their 1-0 defeat at Newcastle on Saturday.
A talented young player, Southampton only signed Alcaraz in January 2023 as they paid Racing Club £12 million for his services.
After impressing in his first six months at the club in a poor Saints side who were relegated from the Premier League Alcaraz found himself out of favour when Martin took over.
Speaking on Alcaraz early last season, Martin explained his lack of involvement during a four-match losing streak, saying: “I see the players every day. When you are asking people to play a certain way – Charly is a young man and doesn’t speak the language well, if at all.
“We are asking him to play in a team with a lot of structure and there are things he knows he needs to do better.”
“It’s been a difficult time for him. He’s lost Willy Caballero and he’s lost Lyanco, his two best mates in the group.
“He’s a young man who is miles away from his home and he’s had some difficult news about his dad.
“He’s got all of that going on which people don’t see and don’t understand.”
“You’re either all in with the team or you’re not. At the minute, Charly needs to come over to that side really.
“We will help him through it and at some point he will be on the pitch for us and he will be fantastic, but now is not the right time while the team is struggling.”
Alcaraz is viewed by Southampton as a sellable asset but they would equally be happy to keep him should the club not receive a suitable offer.
However, the arrival of Fernandes may now force the issue and Southampton could capitalise on interest from the likes of Lazio and Flamengo to sell the Argentine.
Lazio have offered Southampton a loan with an obligation to buy of up to £10 million but the frugal offer is highly unlikely to be given much consideration by Sport Republic.
If Alcaraz is allowed to leave this summer it is anticipated that Southampton will look for a permanent solution rather than one which leaves them dealing with the same issue in a year.