West Ham United needed a reset after David Moyes' reign came to an end before the summer. Julen Lopetegui was welcomed in his place as the London club's first head coach – as opposed to manager – emphasising the structural shift that is in line with much of modern football.
Technical director Tim Steidten has certainly succeeded in a show of ambition, with over £120m paid for a list of new first-teamers: Niclas Fullkrug has joined as the side's new centre-forward; last year's Championship MVP Crysencio Summerville adds electricity to the left flank; Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo have signed to shore up the leaky backline.
That's not an exhaustive list but the east Londoners still need a bit more fizz in attack; after losing their Premier League opener 2-1 on home turf against Aston Villa, such concerns have been heightened, and an exciting addition is being targetted.
Who West Ham could still sign
Lopetegui is keen on landing a new midfielder to improve the fluency and attacking impetus. According to a recent report from The Guardian, Paris Saint-Germain's Carlos Soler has been earmarked as the perfect addition.
Given that Soler, a fine playmaker with an eye for goal, would join on a loan spell with an obligation to buy, there could be shades of Jesse Lingard about the potential deal, with the former England international enjoying a cult-status spell of success at the club.
Before such exciting thoughts can be realised, though, Steidten needs to engineer a couple of departures, and failure to do so would end the pursuit.
Who West Ham could sell
The most obvious player to free from the books would be Danny Ings, who is one of the highest earners while having scored only four goals across 53 appearances.
1.
Jarrod Bowen
£150k-per-week
2.
Lucas Paqueta
£150k-per-week
3.
Danny Ings
£125k-per-week
3.
Kurt Zouma
£125k-per-week
5.
Alphonse Areola
£120k-per-week
Ings, who is 32 years old, has entered the final year of his Irons contract and is being pushed toward the exit. The transfer window invariably heats up at the final stage and he could definitely be plying his trade elsewhere come September.
James Ward-Prowse has also been linked with a surprise exit, one year on from his £30m transfer from Southampton. The Times have named the free-kick specialist one of the most likely to be sold, and Soler would be a more dynamic and fully-packaged replacement.
Why West Ham have to get the deal done
Ward-Prowse enjoyed a decent campaign with West Ham, scoring seven goals and supplying 12 assists across all competitions, but while his set-piece ability is top-notch, he has faced criticism for his overall performances.
Soler, conversely, has been described as the "complete midfielder" by former Valencia player Curro Torres in the past, for his influence across the park speaks of a skillset that would survive the rigours of the Premier League.
Goals scored
0.17
Top 13%
Assists made
0.17
Top 19%
Passes attempted
63.51
Top 19%
Progressive passes
6.10
Top 24%
Touches (att pen)
2.59
Top 7%
Despite only starting 12 Ligue 1 matches last season, the Spaniard maintained a good rate of goals and assists, and with a more important role at the London Stadium, he might even prove to be Lopetegui's own version of the aforementioned Lingard.
Lingard's career form has definitely ebbed and flowed, with the 31-year-old enjoying significant moments of success at Manchester United but also spending plenty of time on the periphery, but inarguably his most potent period came when he joined Moyes' West Ham side on loan.
A deal was struck in January 2021. Moyes reunited with Lingard following his Red Devils days and optimism was perhaps tentative after a protracted period of inactivity under Ole Gunnar Solskjær. Few envisaged what was to come.
Pundit Trevor Sinclair hailed his "outstanding" resurgence as he found his Midas touch and wreaked havoc for the fast-improving Hammers, with his haul crucial for the side's sixth-place Premier League finish and consequent Europa League qualification.
As per Sofascore, Lingard's sojourn in the capital reaped prolific rewards, having bagged nine goals and provided four more across only 16 matches.
Alternating between central striking and wide-flanking roles, the dynamo also completed 84% of his passes and averaged 1.1 key passes per game.
It's for this reason that West Ham might be interested in striking a deal that would repeat the feat. Soler is itching for a chance to restore his status and he will have every confidence that he has the requisite skills to grow into his skin as one of the Premier League club's main men.
Soler, for example, plundered 11 goals and supplied five more assists across the 2021/22 campaign in La Liga, his last before signing for PSG.
Valencia's creative star also averaged 1.7 key passes per game and won 54% of his ground duels, backing up Torres' earlier-mentioned claims that he is indeed the 'complete midfielder'.
He would be unlikely to perform in the same kind of advanced position. The 27-year-old is dynamic and positionally pliable, but Lopetegui could recreate the success that his predecessor found – perhaps this time succeeding in tying down the talent in question to a permanent deal.
Therefore, it would appear crucial that Lopetegui gets his wish and lands Soler to add impetus to the midfield. While the squad is well-stocked with talents such as Ward-Prowse, he's seemingly considered expendable and his sale would allow the club to turn a profit while further shaping Lopetegui's design.
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ByConnor Holden