Until a couple of weeks ago Carlos Soler looked like being yet another West Ham flop but that has all changed.
West Ham pushed to grant Julen Lopetegui his wish of signing Carlos Soler on the final day of the summer window.
The Hammers boss was told that James Ward-Prowse would have to depart in order to free up space on the wage bill.
Lopetegui had reportedly told Ward-Prowse he would be a key player.
But as it became clear a deal could be done with PSG to get Soler on loan for the season, West Ham’s set piece specialist was shipped out to Forest.
Ward-Prowse has struggled to impress at the City Ground – much like he had for West Ham in open play last season.
Ward-Prowse had contributed 18 goals and assists in his debut season, though.
Hammers signing goes from flop to top
And many West Ham observers were questioning the wisdom of letting those set-piece contributions walk out of the building.
Especially as diminutive Soler struggled to make any kind of impact during brief cameos for the Hammers.
Initially it was reported West Ham would be signing former Valencia star Soler in a permanent deal for £17m.
But the Hammers could only sanction a loan deal and the reason soon became clear.
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.
“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.”
West Ham rocked by major concern over key star Soler
Honest West Ham fans – and probably the owners too – will have felt like the club dodged a bullet not signing Soler on a permanent basis given 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 a 2-0 win at Newcastle.
Soler has started every game since and he has arguably been West Ham’s best and most consistent player.
In defeats to Arsenal and Leicester he was one of the only players to emerge from the matches with any credit.
This week Soler has opened up on how much he is enjoying being a starter again with the Irons after a long spell being frozen out at PSG.
But as always seems to be the case with the Hammers, when things are just starting to click into place, there’s a potential issue.
West Ham have been rocked by major concern over key star Soler – but there’s a glimmer of hope.
Real Sociedad were battling the Hammers for Soler’s signature in the summer.
The Spanish side, who took Nayef Aguerd on loan from West Ham in the summer, felt like they may have dodged a bullet too when watching how things were panning out for Soler in east London.
A report in Spain, as repeated by Sport Witness, now claims Real Sociedad have been so impressed by Soler’s recent performances, they’ve made him their top target again.
Hammers have a glimmer of hope over Soler
It’s claimed that they are already speaking to PSG to try and negotiate a deal in advance in the hope of getting the French giants to lower their £17m asking price.
It is stated that Real Sociedad are “intent” on beating West Ham to the permanent signing of Soler and are “willing to make a strong bet on Soler” for next season.
The lure of a return to Spain and Sociedad’s reported determination is a serious concern for West Ham.
But there’s good news.
The report claims Real Sociedad will struggle to make a deal work, saying it would be ‘beyond its current economic possibilities’.
While West Ham have previously admitted the deal would be difficult to pull off financially, the club has reiterated their recent encouraging update on Soler’s situation.
Speaking exclusively to Hammers News about Soler’s situation after Newcastle, a spokesman for the owners gave hope a deal can be done.
Hammers reiterate Soler stance amid Real Sociedad links
PSG will still be tied in to paying Soler over £23m in wages by the summer.
But the Hammers did not rule out a permanent deal.
It was stated Soler must maintain his form from the Newcastle game for the rest of his loan to convince West Ham to make the move permanent.
“It’s his first really good game,” the spokesman told Hammers News after Soler announced himself to the Premier League.
“Play 25 more games like that and anything is possible (when it comes to signing him permanently).”
Well Soler has kept his side of the bargain since, being among the team’s best players after establishing himself as a starter.
Now, in light of the new claims from Spain about Real Sociedad looking to hijack Soler, the Hammers have reiterated their previous stance that he must continue along this path.
That is great news for the Hammers.
West Ham have two wins from four since Soler became a starter. Yes the defeats to Leicester and Arsenal were woeful. But Soler was absolved of any criticism or blame in those shambolic defensive displays.
One thing he must start doing, though, is making more of the shots and chances he is getting.
When he starts weighing in with goals and assists – which doesn’t feel too far away – then David Sullivan and co will start to seriously consider getting the cheque book out.
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