Paul Scholes thinks that Tottenham’s £85 million signing of Mateus Fernandes will turn out to be a flop, despite his former club showing strong interest in the midfielder during the summer.Tottenham Hotspur fans have many reasons to be excited about the business their club managed during the summer transfer window. In fact, supporters would easily hand out seven to eight out of ten ratings to at least seven of the ten new signings brought through the door. A lot of focus was placed on recruiting players with Premier League experience, as Spurs aim to avoid the catastrophe of last season, when they found themselves in a relegation scrap.Credit: @thefrederikkejensen / InstagramPaul Scholes says Tottenham midfield signing Mateus Fernandes will fail under Roberto De ZerbiBut the 26-27 campaign has not gone as planned for the Lilywhites, who are winless in their opening three games of the season. Spurs are also yet to score and currently occupy the final relegation spot, sitting in 18th place in the Premier League table.Several of Tottenham’s new signings have already managed starts and got minutes under their belts. However, former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has seen enough to believe that Mateus Fernandes will be a flop at Tottenham. Spurs signed Fernandes for £85 million from London rivals West Ham United. The Red Devils were also in the race for the former Southampton man’s signature but were beaten to a deal by Spurs.But Scholes is not convinced about Fernandes’ talent. Speaking on The Good, The Bad and The Football about whether the midfielder will be a hit or miss, he said:“I think I am going to say miss with this one. Do you know what? I have not seen an awful lot of him, so I am guessing a little bit.“I do not think, as I have not seen his name in the first few weeks of the season, and I think he did get actually relegated the last two years. I am not saying that is his fault, but he was part of Southampton.“Yeah, I think he was part of Southampton and West Ham. So, twice in two years he has been relegated. I am going to say miss on that one.”Scholes’ former Manchester United teammate Nicky Butt replied: “I think he is a fantastic player. I think he is very talented.“At West Ham, when I watched the game live, I thought, ‘Wow, this boy is a real top, top player’. I think the club that he is in at the minute is just not a club that I would want to go in and play for at the minute. So, I would say miss.”So far, Fernandes has impressed this season, with the midfielder grabbing an assist in the Carabao Cup outing against Charlton Athletic. He has also shown his versatility by filling in the number ten position and looking head and shoulders above anyone Spurs have used in that role.Mateus FernandesTottenham – Premier League (2026 – 2027)Appearances3Passes95Key Passes5Pass Accuracy (%)95.00Tackles4Interceptions0Duels Contested13Duels Won6Stats correct as of September 10, 2026.Maddison earns praise as Scholes questions FernandesWhile Scholes does not rate Fernandes, he does believe Tottenham have a class player in James Maddison. Maddison featured off the bench in Spurs’ opener against Brentford but picked up a shoulder injury that sidelined him for two weeks. The Englishman has since returned to training and should be involved against Everton.When asked about Tottenham’s best signing in the summer transfer window, Butt said: “Tonali.” Scholes quipped: “Well, there are a few good players. Marmoush, Savio.”Butt continued: “And also, you remember, Maddison has come back from injury. He is a signing basically, it is like a new signing. He will come back. They have got some top, top players, they really have.”Scholes noted about Maddison: “I like him. He is a good footballer. He makes the team play good football, you know what I mean. They need to get him involved somehow.“Tottenham is a very negative place at the minute, and it has been for two or three years. They have got to try, as Nicky said, if you get two or three wins put together, then all of a sudden you are off and running. I think they will be fine.”READ MORE: Tottenham starlet snubbed big transfer to Borussia Dortmund this summerThe post Paul Scholes predicts Mateus Fernandes will flop at Tottenham for a harsh reason appeared first on Spurs Web.