A quick question with a very old answer; Who was the last West Ham United player to provide an assist and get sent off in the same Premier League match?
Considering Lucas Paqueta’s penchant for blowing up and leaving his teammates in the lurch – the Brazilian was ‘completely irresponsible’ when arguing his way into an early bath against Liverpool in November – you would be forgiven for letting your mind stray towards the Hammers’ exit-linked number ten.
Yes, Paqueta is the most recent West Ham United player to see red, in every sense.
He and Tomas Soucek are the only two players to be dismissed in a league fixture since Michail Antonio in 2021.
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But you would have to go all the way back to 2007 – when Bobby Zamora was leading the line at Upton Park – to find a West Ham man who ended an afternoon having boosted his assist numbers while also copping a suspension.
Zamora’s rare double-act came during a thrilling 3-3 draw with Fulham 19 years ago.
Former Hammers loanee Carlos Soler would join Zamora in a rather unique club, though, when Real Sociedad held off reigning La Liga champions Barcelona at the Anoeta.
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Carlos Soler’s bizarre Barcelona performance as West Ham United flop helps spark Real Sociedad win
Spain international Carlos Soler returned to La Liga on the final day of the summer transfer window. The former Valencia captain joined Real Sociedad on loan, having long since fallen out of favour at Paris Saint-Germain.
And when Barcelona came to town last weekend, one Premier League flop would set up another. Soler drove a ball across the face of goal for Goncalo Guedes, the ex-Wolves benchwarmer, to fire home.
This means Soler has doubled his number of goal contributions from last season, with four months still remaining.
Carlos Soler during Real Sociedad v Osasuna - Copa del Rey
Photo by Mickael Ducint/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Having picked up eight points from a possible 12 since taking over at a previously-underperforming outfit though, La Real coach Pellegrino Matarazzo will have to do without a similarly-resurgent Soler next time out against Celta Vigo.
Soler tarnished what would have been his finest performance back on Spanish soil when he clattered into Pedri at the death. A straight red card was his punishment.
Fortunately, both for he and his new head coach, Real Sociedad succeeded in holding onto their one-goal advantage a man light.
Mateus Fernandes is thriving where Soler failed at the London Stadium
West Ham had the option of signing Carlos Soler permanently last summer to the tune of £16.5 million.
The chances of that happening faded pretty quickly, though. That 2-0 away win over Newcastle aside, Soler would join a remarkably lengthy list of high-profile players who struggled to live up to expectations in claret and blue.
He wasn’t helped by Graham Potter’s insistence on playing this natural number ten in a deeper role to accommodate Paqueta, of course. But even at his fittest and most confident, Soler always lacked the intensity and pace needed to truly thrive in English football.
The sort of intensity and pace West Ham found in Mateus Fernandes, for instance.
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The Portugal Under-21 skipper is thriving in the sort of box-to-box role Soler never seemed accustomed to. Nuno Espirito Santo knew from day one that West Ham had ‘something special’ in Fernandes. Now, as the weeks go by and his influence grows, the former Southampton starlet continues to outstrip many of the experienced, high-profile operators who came before.
He is certain to be one of the first names on Nuno’s team sheet when West Ham host high-flying Sunderland on Saturday.
“Mateus is a challenge that we have on our hands, and we sincerely believe that we can help Mateus,” Nuno said of Fernandes shortly after taking over.
“[Fernandes can] improve as a player, become a more mature person. A young person is capable of, I believe, giving many, many joys to West Ham. We have something special there.”
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