In what has been a dismal season for West Ham United, Carlos Soler has been one of very few highlights.
West Ham pushed to grant Julen Lopetegui his wish of signing Carlos Soler on loan from PSG on deadline day in the summer.
Little did fans – or anyone at the club – know then that would be the last deal Tim Steidten would oversee as West Ham technical director.
The diminutive former Valencia star initially struggled to make any kind of impact during brief cameos for the Hammers.
It has been reported West Ham would be signing Soler in a permanent deal for £17m.
But the Hammers could only sanction a loan after committing £155m to sign the eight players that arrived before him during the summer rebuild.
West Ham fans – and probably the owners too – may have have felt like the club dodged a bullet only signing Soler on loan amid his initial struggles.
The 27-year-old had looked ill-equipped for the rigours of English football.
But Soler completely changed the entire narrative around him when he started and put in a man of the match display in that 2-0 win at Newcastle.
Soler’s surprising Bale moment sparks West Ham debate
While he has not necessarily set the world alight, Soler has arguably been one of West Ham’s better performers in a dismal season.
New boss Graham Potter is clearly a fan, making the Spanish midfielder a regular starter.
Now Soler has broken his silence on his West Ham future after channelling his inner Gareth Bale to spark a fervent debate.
Soler caught everyone by surprise in the extremely harsh defeat to Chelsea on Monday night.
He flicked the ball around powerhouse Chelsea right-back Reece James and proceeded to outsprint the England international as he ran off the pitch – just like that famous Bale moment for Real Madrid against Barcelona.
Of course Bale went on to finish his breathtaking move with a goal.
Soler was stopped in his tracks by a foul as he closed in on the Chelsea box.
But the surprising turn of pace and strength over distance against a player like James has seen many West Ham fans debating whether the club should make his move permanent in the summer.
Invested Soler reminds Hammers fans of Fornals
Soler speaks brilliant English and has really embraced being a Hammer.
He spoke to his compatriot Pablo Fornals before joining West Ham and many feel he shares the same enthusiasm for the club.
That was evident when it emerged this week that Soler sat in amongst the fans for the game against Brighton when he was suspended.
Carlos Soler on sitting in with the West Ham fans against Brighton
- “They didn’t recognise me. It was nice, I enjoyed it. It’s not a problem to take photos with fans because when I was in the Valencia academy, I wanted pictures with the first-team players but, in this moment, I preferred not to be recognised so I can go with them and experience match-day like a fan’.“
Video has emerged on social media this week showing Soler walking through London when he is spotted by a West Ham fan.
The supporter shouts ‘Carlos’ and ‘Irons’ and Soler duly responds with a big smile and by doing the crossed Hammers.
But as Soler’s Bale moment stirs opinion on whether Potter should use some of his summer budget to keep him around, what does the player himself think?
One thing is for certain, he really likes playing for West Ham’s new manager.
“I started to play but then Julen was sacked,” Soler told The Daily Mail.
“I looked at that as an opportunity with the new coach.
“I saw that Graham had confidence in me. He likes the style of football that I play. That’s very important for a player…
“I think the new coach has good ideas. We are happy with the new coach. I like the football he wants to play.”
But will Soler be at West Ham next season to really enjoy the Potter revolution?
Soler breaks silence on West Ham future
“I don’t know about that,” Soler adds.
“If I tell you one thing, maybe in two months it’s going to be different. I don’t know, I like London, I like playing for West Ham, I like the fans, I like people here and I’m very happy. That’s all I can tell you right now.”
Unfortunately West Ham’s decision is not as straightforward as just paying PSG a relatively reasonable £17m.
The reason West Ham could only sanction a loan deal for Soler was made clear to Hammers News from the start.
A spokesman for West Ham’s owners revealed at the time that Soler is on a staggering salary of £240k per week at PSG.
With the midfielder in contract at PSG until 2027, West Ham admitted it made the prospect of a permanent deal look bleak.
Wages and Potter will dictate permanent West Ham deal for Soler
“Soler is on £240k a week at PSG,” the club confirmed to Hammers News after he joined.
“So it’s going to be hard to do a permanent deal.”
Since then West Ham have insisted ‘never say never’ if Soler was to shine consistently for the remainder of his loan.
The Hammers would clearly not be able to match the wages he is on at PSG.
And Soler is guaranteed – wait for it – a staggering £23m in wages through to the end of that PSG deal.
He is not going to give that money up. Who would?
The only possibility would be that PSG effectively top up the difference between whatever West Ham would pay him and his contracted salary.
That could be as a payout, perhaps at a reduced fee by way of compromise, so Soler can get his career back on track.
It may be Potter wants his own players come the summer. It’s been clear the manager and new head of recruitment Kyle Macauley are focusing on signing young hot prospects to build a new-look team around.
That includes a powerful box-to-box midfielder.
But whatever happens, as far as loan signings go, nobody can question Soler’s professionalism, attitude and application.
There will likely need to be a few more Bale-esque moments to convince the Hammers hierarchy to do the deal, though.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
