West Ham United certainly haven’t been hanging around during the summer transfer window, securing deals for the likes of Max Kilman, Crysencio Summerville and Niclas Füllkrug.
Julen Lopetegui means business, and it looks as though the club have secured yet another signing, as Carlos Soler has agreed to make the move from Paris Saint-Germain to London.
How much West Ham could spend on Carlos Soler
On transfer deadline day, the Irons secured a deal to sign Soler from the Ligue 1 club.
The initial move will be a season-long loan, and he will be replacing James Ward-Prowse, who has left to join Nottingham Forest in a similar move.
If a move for the Spaniard wishes to be made permanent next summer, however, he could cost around £17m according to Fabrizio Romano, which may turn out to be a bargain for Lopetegui.
Much will depend on how he performs in the Premier League, but the manager already has one player who is worth more than Soler in the squad and will likely initially start ahead of him.
Tomas Soucek’s market value at West Ham United
Czech midfielder Tomas Soucek joined the Irons permanently back in the summer of 2020 for a fee of £19m from Slavia Prague after impressing during an initial loan spell at the club.
Since then, he has gone from strength to strength, winning a European trophy for the London side in 2023, and he will likely play a key part under Lopetegui, battling alongside Soler for a place in the squad.
Season
Games
Goals
Assists
2023/24
52
10
3
2022/23
50
3
6
2021/22
51
6
1
2020/21
41
10
1
2019/20
13
3
0
Last season, the 29-year-old missed just one Premier League match across the entire campaign for the Hammers.
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He stepped up in an attacking sense, scoring seven goals, grabbing two assists, creating four big chances and averaging 1.2 shots per game. Adding these sorts of attacking skills to his repertoire has given him a much greater role in the first team.
Defensively, Soucek was also impressive. When compared to his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues, the former Slavia Prague star ranked in the top 2% for clearances per 90 (2.91) and in the top 1% for aerial duels won per 90 (3.5), showcasing his range of skills in the top flight last term.
On that evidence, it is no wonder that David Moyes thought he was "sensational". So great has the player been that his value has risen since moving to east London.
Indeed, acccording to Transfermarkt, the midfield maestro is currently valued at €30m (£26m), which means that he is worth £7m more now than what the club paid to sign him four years ago.
Not only that, but the midfielder is worth more than Soler, signifying how important he is to the club as they look to reach European competition after missing out this year for the first time in three seasons.
Many wondered whether Lopetegui was the right man to lead the club forward. Given his transfer business, the Spaniard could be about to achieve something very special at West Ham if everything works out well.
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