Outside the home dressing room at the London Stadium, next to the family lounge, two young West Ham United supporters are patiently waiting for one particular summer signing.
“Where is Carlos Soler?” they ask a member of Julen Lopetegui’s backroom staff following West Ham’s 3-1 loss to Manchester City. He reassures them that the attack-minded midfielder is on his way. Lucas Paqueta, Jarrod Bowen, Max Kilman and City duo Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish sign their notepads before the big moment arrives.
Soler, with a small entourage of family and friends, greets the youngsters. The 27-year-old adds his autograph to their collection during their brief exchange. They struggle to contain their excitement as he bids them farewell. Many other West Ham supporters likely felt the same way on deadline day when it was announced that Soler had joined the club on a season-long loan from Paris Saint-Germain.
Soler’s signing was driven by Lopetegui, who felt he needed more creativity in midfield, and the former Valencia man was keen to work under his fellow Spaniard. The delay in the deal being finalised was due to West Ham needing to loan out Kurt Zouma (to Al Orobah), Nayef Aguerd (Real Sociedad), James Ward-Prowse (Nottingham Forest) and Maxwel Cornet (Everton) to free up space.
Soler was introduced to supporters before kick-off last Saturday. The midfielder, who was West Ham’s ninth summer signing, will be eligible for selection in the next Premier League game away to Fulham.
Soler sought the opinion of former West Ham midfielder Pablo Fornals before joining. The 14-time Spain international also had interest from Real Sociedad following Mikel Merino’s €32.5million (£27.4m) move to Arsenal but the Spanish side did not follow up their curiosity.
In an interview with West Ham’s website posted earlier this week, Soler spoke about wanting to win silverware. He won the Copa del Rey in 2019 with Valencia, was part of the Spanish side that won the European Under-21 Championship in 2019, and won four trophies during his two-year spell at PSG.
West Ham’s midfield options are Soler, Tomas Soucek, Lucas Paqueta, Edson Alvarez, Andy Irving and Guido Rodriguez. Lopetegui has not had a settled midfield partnership in his first four games as head coach.
The club will hope they are signing the Soler who was a sought-after talent at Valencia and had a €150million buyout clause placed in a contract he signed in 2019. His breakout season was in 2020-21, with Soler scoring 12 goals and registering nine assists in all competitions. Lopetegui will intend to unlock a player who scored 12 goals in back-to-back seasons (Soler repeated the feat in 2021-22).
It is worth remembering when Lopetegui was Spain’s manager, he selected Soler in the provisional squad ahead of the 2018 World Cup (although he didn’t make the final 23). However, Lopetegui was fired before the tournament after agreeing to become Real Madrid’s head coach the following season. Soler did not make his debut for Spain until 2021.
West Ham’s Carabao Cup win against Bournemouth last month is an example of why Soler’s creativity is needed. Ward-Prowse and Soucek, the midfield pairing selected on the night, struggled to retain possession and did not influence the final third. It was a reminder to Lopetegui why he needed to augment his options. The 2020-21 season is a good reference point, with Lopetegui intending to implement the style of play that allowed Soler to excel in a possession-heavy central midfield role.
Soler took on more responsibility in build-up following Dani Parejo’s departure to Villarreal ahead of the 2020-21 campaign, moving into a more central position as the heatmap below suggests. His touches shot up that season, averaging 60.3 per game as opposed to 47.7 and 39.7 in the seasons prior. Able to play across the midfield, Soler’s role changed again under Jose Bordalas the following season, who preferred to use him as a right midfielder.
Soler’s shot map since the 2019-20 season shows how good he is at scoring when he arrives into the penalty area. Across the last five seasons, he has converted 12 goals from inside the box. He can also score from distance, with strikes against Barcelona, Real Valladolid and a cross-shot against FC Metz all solid examples of his capability.
Soler was originally a striker before being converted into a midfielder. He joined Valencia’s academy aged seven after being spotted playing football on soil pitches during half-time of matches at his local side, Bonrepos. Soler’s grandad, Rafael, who died in February 2022, had a key influence in his upbringing. Soler told The Guardian in 2022 that he was reluctant to join a team until his grandad promised him a Game Boy console if he joined Bonrepos.
As a kid, Soler spent his weekend’s watching the Premier League on Canal Plus. Fernando Torres, Cesc Fabregas and Santi Cazorla were some of Soler’s idols growing up. Seeing his counterparts impress in the Premier League was added motivation. He made his debut for Valencia in December 2016 and scored 36 goals across 226 appearances.
Soler joined PSG for €18million on a five-year deal in the summer of 2022 but was not a first-team regular. Across his two seasons, Soler played a combined total of 3,050 minutes.
Why was he unable to reprise his promising form from Valencia? Benjamin Quarez, who covers PSG for French media outlet Le Parisien, explains.
“When he joined the club, it was a surprise because he wasn’t a priority signing,” Quarez tells The Athletic. “He arrived as an offensive midfielder and we didn’t get to see the best out of him. It was very difficult for him because he wasn’t considered the best player in the team. It was tough for him being in the shadows of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
“Soler’s second season under Luis Enrique was hard and the manager struggled to get the best out of him. He even played at right- and left-back at times, and this was supposed to be an attacking midfielder. It was tough for Soler and there were doubts about whether he could play at a high level. He had to leave this summer to get back to his best. He wasn’t part of Enrique’s plans, so it made no sense staying.
“But under Lopetegui, he will play for a head coach who knows him well and who wants to support him. It will be more of a positive atmosphere at West Ham, which should help Carlos’ confidence. The fans didn’t truly appreciate him at PSG but that will be different at West Ham.”
(Top photo: John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images)
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