Carlos Soler was the icing on the cake for West Ham’s seeming incredible summer makeover.
On the last day of the transfer window, the Hammers made a quick move to sign Soler on a season-long loan from PSG.
According to reports, West Ham would pay £17 million to sign the Spaniard on a permanent basis.
However, West Ham could only make a loan agreement.
It soon became evident why.
At the time, a representative for West Ham’s owners disclosed that Soler receives a staggering £240k weekly pay at PSG.
Given that the former Valencia player has a contract with PSG through 2027, the team acknowledged that the likelihood of a long-term agreement was slim.
After he joined, PSG told Hammers News that Soler was making £240k per week.
“So, doing a permanent deal is going to be difficult.”
West Ham share major update on future of Carlos Soler
Since coming to east London, the 27-year-old has not impressed in his fleeting appearances for the Hammers.
He appeared too little and unprepared for the demands of English football, according to many.
But at Newcastle on Monday night, Soler utterly disproved that hypothesis.
In a surprising 2-0 victory at St. James’s Park, West Ham put on their greatest performance of the year, and he was undoubtedly their best—and most important—player.
When Soler was leading Valencia’s midfield, he was one of Spain’s brightest stars.
Because of this, PSG went out and paid a lot of money for him, snatching up the best young players from all across Europe.
In a performance that demonstrated exceptional intelligence and implied he might be the perfect partner to bring out the best in Lucas Paqueta, West Ham saw why.
The reality that the club had stated that a permanent contract would be challenging suddenly hit Hammers supporters like an eclipse as they had allowed themselves to become giddy over their Soler flare.
However, West Ham has now released a significant update on Soler’s future that will thrill supporters.
Hammers give hope of keeping Spanish star on one condition
A representative for the owners has expressed renewed optimism that a deal can be reached regarding Soler’s circumstances in an exclusive interview with Hammers News. Although PSG will still be responsible for paying Soler more than £23 million in wages by the summer, the Hammers are not ruling out a permanent deal, but there is a significant condition: that he maintains this form. “It’s his first really good game,” the representative told Hammers News following Soler’s announcement to the Premier League. “Play 25 more games like that and anything is possible (when it comes to signing him permanently).”
For West Ham supporters, that is wonderful news.
Nothing is more frustrating than having a talented player on loan with no chance of a permanent deal.
Tim Steidten was strongly pressured by Julen Lopetegui to bring Soler to the London Stadium.
The missing piece to West Ham’s midfield puzzle
The management gave his compatriot a high billing when he got there.
When he arrived, Lopetegui declared, “I think Carlos Soler is a good player and he is going to help us, for sure.”
He is 27 years old, has played internationally, and is arguably at his peak right now.
Because he can play a variety of positions, he has a wonderful profile for us, and I believe he will improve us.
Fans of West Ham had questioned Lopetegui’s judgement since they had not seen much proof of such.
At Newcastle, that all changed as Soler skilfully brought the team together.
At least now, West Ham supporters are aware that if he continues to play at such levels for the remainder of the season, there
“West Ham will treat you that way.”
Fans mostly agreed with that after seeing pictures of Julien Lopetegui looking unkempt in the dugout prior to the match against Newcastle.
The 58-year-old was wearing a wrinkled perma-frown and had a grey beard, suggesting that the strain of West Ham’s circumstances was starting to get to him.
The Spaniard was aware that this week would be challenging. On a Monday night, Arsenal plays at home after Newcastle goes away.
Lopetegui was described as a dead man walking, and West Ham was given no chance.
particularly considering that the Hammers played those games without Muhammad Kudus, who is perhaps their finest player.
Lopetegui was justifiably relieved after a 2-0 victory that no one had anticipated.
However, he is aware that additional stress is coming.
Actually, he has a whole new headache as a result of the way he performed and won at Newcastle.
Monumental new Kudus issue Lopetegui must confront
In February, the Gunners defeated West Ham 6-0 in this match.
One of the outcomes that convinced people in east London that David Moyes had to leave was this one.
Overnight, the Gunners crushed Sporting, one of Europe’s best teams, 5-1 away from home, shattering any hopes of catching them on a bad day.
The last thing West Ham needs is to play Arsenal with their tails up, especially because Lopetegui is in dire need of some momentum.
When the Hammers play the team he has been strongly connected to lately, they will once again be without their Ghanaian star kid.
After that, West Ham travels to Leicester to finish a run of three games in eight days.
They accomplish this by presenting Lopetegui with a crucial new Kudus problem that might make or ruin West Ham’s season.
There isn’t much evidence to suggest that Kudus and Lopetegui are no longer in love.
The manager accused Kudus of not playing for the team at half-time of the encounter at Brentford earlier this season.
In terms of their team’s ball recoveries from the previous season, Kudus was second only to Bruno Guimaraes. in the Premier League.
This season, he was also in the top 10.
Therefore, it made sense that the celebrity objected to being singled out by Lopetegui as being self-centred.
After an apparent altercation, Kudus was replaced.
Was Lopetegui trying to demonstrate to the team that no one matters more than the team by singling out his finest player, an old managerial tactic?
Is he truly of the opinion that Kudus is not a team player? In any case, many questioned the manager’s decision to annoy your star player.
Kudus has shown irritated by West Ham’s decision to deploy him on the left this season.
Kudus call will make or break West Ham’s season
That has also irritated Hammers supporters. Because they believe that Kudus is not only less productive than other players, but it also excludes Crystal Summerville from the squad.
That problem for Lopetegui has been resolved by Kudus’ head injury at Spurs and subsequent five-game suspension.
During what many believe will be a game-changing 2-0 victory at Newcastle, Summerville was among West Ham’s top players.
Lopetegui will quickly realise that he faces a potentially crucial selection conundrum as he basks in his team’s success.
The players’ esteem for managers is frequently determined by how they handle tough choices and squad selection.
West Ham supporters will expect their team to defeat Leicester regardless of what happens against Arsenal.
Kudus is coming back for that match. What, then, does Lopetegui do best?
Does Kudus immediately return to the side? Who quits?
How does Lopetegui respond to the circumstance without losing the players’ respect?
The manager of the Hammers must determine if Kudus needs to prove himself to be included again.
Fans would be upset if Summerville were removed.
However, Lucas Paqueta and Carlos Soler were outstanding at Newcastle in a midfield that at last cooperated with Tomas Soucek.
Lopetegui’s major dilemma over Summerville and Kudus
If Lopetegui wishes to treat Summerville fairly, then where does Kudus fit in?
Kudus must now perform his penance by sitting on the bench, according to many fans.
However, that seems almost ridiculous on its own. The best player on the team is the Ghanaian attacker.
Additionally, West Ham would have been anxious to have him available during the sombre draw with Everton two weeks ago.
It seems excessive to suddenly imply that he needs to regain his position following a successful outcome.
Lopetegui alone has the last say, but it’s a decision that may literally make or break West Ham’s season.
It could have disastrous consequences for the remainder of the season and the manager’s long-term status if it throws the club off balance just when West Ham is starting to gain momentum.
For this reason, the head coach receives a high salary.
How Lopetegui responds to it will be interesting to see.
Because next Tuesday, he will have to face it head-on in any case.
