Roberto De Zerbi believes there is a lot more to come from Mateus Fernandes in a Tottenham shirt, even after an impressive few weeks.Fernandes had to wait until Spurs’ eighth league game of the season to finally get a start in his preferred number six role, and the 22-year-old has not looked back since. De Zerbi even asked him to play a loan pivot role against Leeds, with Tonali and Archie Gray pushed further forward.The Portugal international has been exceptional in finding passes under pressure, showing why Tottenham paid £85m to bring him through the door.The former West Ham man is now forging an impressive partnership with Tottenham’s other big-money midfield signing, Sandro Tonali, who is also delivering consistently after a difficult start to the season.Mateus FernandesTottenham – Premier League (2026 – 2027)Appearances9Minutes Played466Average Rating6.64Goals0Assists0Passes387Key Passes11Pass Accuracy (%)92.00Yellow Cards2Red Cards0Stats correct as of 7 November 2026.Photo by Shaun Brooks – CameraSport via Getty ImagesRoberto De Zerbi says Tottenham star Mateus Fernandes is still only playing at 50 per centThe numbers show that Fernandes and Tonali complement each other very well, with the Italian offering defensive awareness and energy in the middle of the pitch while the Portuguese star’s progressive passing is helping the side get the ball up the pitch.De Zerbi has suggested that it was always going to take time for the pair to settle at a new club and has asserted that the best is yet to come from Fernandes.When asked what he likes about the Tonali and Fernandes pairing, the Tottenham boss said (via the club’s official website): “To play well, I think Tonali has to run, to run to work on the pitch. Maybe with Mateus Fernandes in the last games, he improved a lot, the qualities of his performances, but also with Rodrigo today, nothing changed because Rodrigo as a characteristic, he’s like Matheus in the last two games.“I think Matheus is improving a lot. I think his showing is 50, 60%, not more. His potential is bigger than the performances he’s doing so far, but he’s very young. Like I said one month ago, these young players, they need much time to come inside, to understand the new club, to understand the new style, the new coach, the new staff.”De Zerbi admits two Spurs forwards are short of confidence at the momentWhile Tonali and Fernandes have discovered some belief and confidence, De Zerbi confessed that his strikers, Dominic Solanke and Omar Marmoush, need goals in order to play at their best.The Tottenham boss was particularly complimentary of the England international, backing him to come good as soon as he finds the back of the net on a couple of occasions.When asked about the different qualities that Solanke and Marmoush bring to the team, De Zerbi said: “Different style, different characteristics. Omar Marmoush attacks the space, can play as a 10, can play as a winger, maybe come inside more than Mathys Tel. Dom is more of a striker. But both, they can play together. Both are good players.“I would like them to improve their confidence, because I think the problem of these two players are not the qualities, are not the physical, maybe, yes, the physical condition is not top yet, but the confidence can improve. And the confidence can improve if you want, for sure, with goals, with assistance from the team and from myself.”When asked how far Solanke is from the player we saw at Bournemouth, the 46-year-old responded: “I don’t know, I don’t know, because he’s working very, very hard, very well. He understands football. I think he can improve also in the movement in the last third to be more focused on the goal and not just to be a link, to play with the team, but we need the Solanke on the top of his physical condition and mental condition also, the confidence.”READ MORE: James Maddison reveals how Tottenham squad reacted to Postecoglou’s second-season promiseThe post Roberto De Zerbi says one of Tottenham’s best performers is still only at 50%, exciting for Spurs fans appeared first on Spurs Web.