Graham Potter has praised Carlos Soler despite his inconsistency.Graham Potter has praised Carlos Soler despite his inconsistency.
Graham Potter has praised Carlos Soler despite his inconsistency. | Getty Images
The Paris Saint-Germain appears to have half an eye on next season as his time at West Ham comes to an end.
West Ham midfielder Carlos Soler ‘would like’ to return to former club Valencia after a largely underwhelming season at the London Stadium.
The 28-year-old was signed for the Hammers by former manager Julen Lopetegui on a season-long loan deal from Paris Saint-Germain. The London outfit is believed to have the option of making that move permanent for £17 million come the end of the campaign.
Soler has earned the praise of Graham Potter since the former Chelsea and Brighton man’s arrival but his lack of consistency and high wages are set to be enough to put the club off the £17 million investment. It appears that the player might know that too.
Carlos Soler ‘would like’ to play for Valencia again
In an interview with Super Deporte, Soler appeared to put himself in the shop window for Valencia, where he began his footballing career. As relayed by Hammers News, he said: “Of course I would like to play there (Valencia).
“I have already seen that the works have resumed, hopefully the deadlines they give for the stadium will be met.
“We [Solder and Valencia captain Jose Gaya] have a very good relationship. He loves the club, he’s shown it, he’s stayed despite having offers. He’s been here a long time and of course he’s suffering from the situation.
“Now the team is a bit better than it was a few weeks ago. We’ve exchanged messages, he doesn’t use his phone much, but I talk to him, to Jaume… I have a relationship with the players; whenever there’s a game, I watch it, whenever Valencia plays, I watch it on TV. I hope it goes well. They’re in a better dynamic, especially at Mestalla.”
Soler has not started any of West Ham’s last four Premier League matches but has come off the bench in each of those. He has managed just one goal and one assist in all competitions this term.
Graham Potter ‘has confidence’ in PSG loanee
Despite a lack of minutes recently, Soler has hinted at a good relationship with Potter and claimed that the Hammers boss is a fan of him too. He said: “It was not easy [moving to West Ham] because you have to change a lot of things, not just in football but in life that people don't know. It's normal because fans just know about the matches but there are so many things more than football.
“I knew that I had to adapt my game to the Premier League. There is more intensity, crazy matches. The second half was like that against Villa. It was one side, another side, one side, another side.
“I had to fit in with the idea of the coach. I started to play but then Julen was sacked. I looked at that as an opportunity with the new coach. I saw that Graham had confidence in me. He likes the style of football that I play. That's very important for a player.”
In other news, Premier League clubs are set to benefit from a head start in the summer transfer window this year.
Related topics:Julen LopeteguiWest HamGraham PotterPremier League
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