West Ham midfielder Carlos Soler eyes Valencia return

Less than two months into life in the Premier League, West Ham midfielder Carlos Soler is already facing questions regarding his future. The 27-year old joined the Hammers on loan from Paris Saint-Germain at the end of August, making a decent start to the 2024/2025 season, though the shine he had when playing for Valencia has been missing eversince he left the club.

Soler made his professional debut with Valencia, going up the ranks to feature in the senior team for the first time in 2016. He spent his entire career at the club, scoring 36 goals and 31 assiasts in 226 appearances for Valencia, before moving to PSG in 2022 for 18 million euros. With the Parisians, he enjoyed winning four titles and accumulating a total of 63 appearances within two years. Nevertheles, both the player and the French club decided to part ways last summer, as Joan Lopetegui's West Ham came knocking.

The Spanish midfielder admitted that he was drawn by the opportunity to play in the English top flight. But his stay at London will expire at the end of the season, as speculation regarding his future has already began. When asked about his long-term future, Soler said: “We haven’t talked about objectives. It’s a very new and long-term project. It’s a bit abstract because in football you have to think a lot about the present, get results and play well."

“But we have a lot of new players, a new coach, a new philosophy… Few clubs manage to get it right from the start. In my case, I’m going to stay for a year, and I don’t know what will happen when the season is over. But I was seduced by the idea of facing this change, fighting every weekend to get into the eleven and West Ham was the best option," he added as he spoke to 'Marca'. 

Despite an uncertain future ahead, Soler insisted that he would never shut down his boyhood club as a possinle destination, admitting that he would like to return at some point in his career. "I’ll never close the door because I identify as Valencian and Valencianista. My heart is with Valencia, and I often find myself here on my days off," he explained. "Football is unpredictable, but I hope to return at some point. For now, my focus is on West Ham and fulfilling my contract with PSG."

So far, Soler has had a somewhat underwhealming introduction to the Premier League, only making appearances from the bench for West Ham, minus his only start in the disappointing 5-1 defeat to Liverpool in the EFL Cup. Nevertheless, he had stated that he is determined to fight for a starting place during his time on loan at the club. 

 

October 20, 2024