By OkayGoal 
West Ham United have identified Troyes playmaker Martin Adeline as their preferred replacement for Mateus Fernandes, according to the Daily Mail, with the 22-year-old France Under-20 international having played a starring role in Troyes’ promotion to Ligue 1 this season after registering 21 goal involvements in all competitions.
The Hammers are bracing themselves for the inevitable departure of Fernandes this summer. The 21-year-old Portugal international is expected to leave following West Ham’s relegation to the Championship, with Manchester United, Arsenal and back-to-back Champions League winners PSG all reportedly considering bids in the region of £80 million for the midfielder. Fernandes’ dynamism and technical quality won rave reviews during his time in the Premier League, making him one of the most coveted young midfielders in Europe and leaving West Ham with an extremely difficult act to replace regardless of their division next season.
Nuno Espirito Santo will need to find a player capable of filling that creative void as he attempts to guide the club straight back to the Premier League, and Adeline’s performances for Troyes have caught the attention of West Ham’s recruitment team as they scout the market for a suitable candidate.
Martin Adeline’s numbers that attracted West Ham’s attention
Adeline’s season at Troyes was one of the defining individual campaigns in Ligue 2 this term. Across 32 league appearances, he scored 10 goals and contributed 11 assists, with a further three goal involvements across four Coupe de France outings. The most compelling stretch came between February and April, when he registered a goal involvement in seven consecutive games — five goals and four assists — a run that proved instrumental in Troyes’ title-winning promotion campaign.
Those numbers demonstrate both the quality and the consistency required at Championship level, and the ability to influence games in a sustained run when the pressure of a promotion battle is at its most intense is exactly the kind of character profile Nuno will be looking for. The comparison to Fernandes is an obvious one in terms of creative output, though the contexts differ significantly: Fernandes was doing it in the Premier League, Adeline in Ligue 2.
The key questions surrounding the Martin Adeline transfer
Two uncertainties currently define this story. The first is whether Adeline would be willing to forgo his first season in Ligue 1 to join a recently relegated Championship club. Troyes have earned their promotion, Adeline has been central to it, and the chance to play at the top level of French football next season is a genuine alternative that West Ham will need to address with a compelling offer and a convincing project.
The second uncertainty is the fee. West Ham’s financial situation following relegation is under significant pressure, and the club will need to raise funds through sales before they can invest in incoming players. No price has been mentioned in connection with Adeline, but given his age, his form this season and the step up in interest that inevitably accompanies a player who has just completed a stellar promotion campaign, the cost may prove challenging for a club navigating the financial realities of life in the second tier.
