Tottenham agreed to pay West Ham £85 million for Mateus Fernandes, a Portuguese midfielder who is now one medical away from becoming the most expensive signing in club history. That record usually comes with a warning label around north London.
Because if you look at the list of Spurs’ biggest transfers, the hit rate is somewhere between “questionable” and “did we actually watch these guys play?”
Fernandes will top the list at £85 million. Before he arrives, let’s run through the nine other mega-deals Spurs have made — and how those turned out. (We’re skipping Jan Paul van Hecke, who ranks fifth but hasn’t played a minute yet.)
Tanguy Ndombele. Still the cautionary tale.
£55 million. Club record at the time. And he might be the most gifted player on this list who also put in the least effort. Jose Mourinho didn’t even bother hiding his frustration. He called him out in press conferences. Fans couldn’t figure out whether to be furious or just disappointed.
Ndombele left as a free agent in 2024. Four years. Not even close to 10% return on that money.
Dominic Solanke. One good season, one bad contract.
Nineteen Premier League goals for Bournemouth in 2023-24 made Spurs think they were getting a striker who finally figured it out. They paid £55 million. The problem is that season was the outlier. Solanke had never hit double digits in a top-flight campaign before that. So when he arrived at Tottenham, nine goals in 27 games felt about right. Then three in 15 last season. And they’re going into this year with him as the starter again. That feels like a mistake they’re choosing to make.
Xavi Simons. Talent you have to wait for.
When Eberechi Eze said no and went to Arsenal, Tottenham pivoted hard to Simons. He cost them a lot but managed only five goals in 28 Premier League appearances. Two goals. That’s it. He had a decent stretch late in the year, then tore his ACL and missed the end of the season and the World Cup. Won’t be back until maybe 2027.
Davinson Sanchez. Wrong system, good player.
Sanchez looked like a monster at Ajax. In a back three. At Spurs, managers kept trying to force him into a back four. He never looked comfortable. Solid enough but never special.
Mohammed Kudus. Hard to judge a guy who’s always hurt.
Six goals in his first 10 games. Two assists on debut. Then nothing. One goal from November to January. Then a hamstring injury that wiped out the rest of his season and the World Cup. If he stays healthy, maybe he justifies the fee. That’s a big if.
Brennan Johnson. Worth it for one goal.
He’s at Crystal Palace now, and he’s done nothing there — zero goals in 26 games. But for Spurs fans, Johnson scored the winner in the Europa League final. That goal alone might be worth the £47.5 million they paid. Everything else has been forgettable.
Richarlison. Decent but streaky.
Thirty-two goals in 133 games isn’t terrible. But Richarlison is the streakiest striker in the league. He’ll look like a 20-goal man for a month, then disappear for three months. And his goal celebrations annoy just about everyone.
Archie Gray. The kid you bet on.
Gray played six different positions last season because everyone else was hurt. He’s almost 100 appearances for the club and just turned 20. If he settles into midfield, that £40 million will look smart. Still too early to tell.
James Maddison. The one that actually worked.
Seventy-eight appearances. Thirty-seven goal involvements. Best creative player on the team when healthy. He’s 29 and coming off a long injury, so you wonder what version of him shows up this year. But if it’s the old Maddison, £40 million was a bargain.
Cristian Romero. Good defender, loose cannon.
One hundred fifty-six appearances. Six red cards. He’s been a steady presence at the back for five years, which is more than most of these names can say. But he’s probably leaving this summer, and £42.5 million for half a decade of service is about right.
So Tottenham just spent £85 million on Fernandes. He could be the one who changes the narrative. Or he could end up on this list in five years, another name fans bring up when they ask why the club keeps making the same mistakes.
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