The Verdict: Were West Ham right to sell Edimilson Fernandes?

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Many an eyebrow was raised in the past week when Manuel Pellegrini’s West Ham United confirmed that they had sold Edimilson Fernandes to Mainz of the Bundesliga for an undisclosed fee.

The international with Switzerland arrived at London Stadium from FC Sion in the summer of 2016 and was an instant hit in east London, winning the hearts of fans with a match-winning performance against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup.

But as time went by the 23-year-old was forced into different positions such as right-back and attacking midfield by different managers amid injury crises.

This and injuries of his own meant that things started to go a bit pear-shaped for the central midfielder, culminating in him falling out of the Swiss national squad and being sent out on loan at Fiorentina last summer.

When he returned at the end of the 2018/2019 campaign, he was told he was surplus to requirements and shipped off to Germany permanently.

Today, three Football FanCast writers give their verdicts on whether West Ham have made the right move in selling Fernandes…

Harry Sherlock

“Fernandes was never likely to play at West Ham in the coming season. He’s already 23 and he never really showed that he was likely to deliver on his potential in east London. His 48 appearances are hardly memorable and the Hammers now have money that they can reinvest into the squad, hopefully by bringing in another midfielder with greater quality who can reinforce the centre of the pitch. Shifting Fernandes, then, was a necessary step; the Hammers aren’t likely to regret it.”

Matt Dawson

“Given the performances of Fernandes whilst he was on loan in Italy West Ham were absolutely right to let him go. Although he’s 23, he seems like one of those promising players who is destined to never achieve their full potential. If he couldn’t cut it in Italy then it’s highly unlikely he’d have been able to do the business in Premier League. The Hammers have done the right thing.”

Christy Malyan

“I saw a lot of promise in Fernandes – a very athletic player who featured in a few different capacities during his time at West Ham. But the Irons’ squad does require streamlining and at the age of 23, it does feel like his Irons career had reached a point of now or never. It seems West Ham were convinced it’s a case of the latter, however, I would’ve given the midfielder a final chance next season to try and stake a claim for a first-team role.”