West Ham Preview: Pablo Fornals – The Irons’ Iniesta
Pablo Formals is quickly becoming a West Ham fan favorite. He is skilled and technical, though equally as hard-working and passionate; the Spaniard has genuinely bought into the club’s culture since he arrived from Villareal in 2019. The upcoming season feels like it is set to be a coming of age for Pablo, after donning the number 8 shirt, as he will be aiming to emulate some of the European campaigns of idol and fellow “8” Andres Iniesta.
What have we learned from his time at the club so far?
Fornals began his career in Spain at Malaga, where he made his senior debut in 2015. After gaining a reputation in La Liga, he moved to Villareal two years later. In his first season at The Yellow Submarine, he registered 12 assists – joint highest in the league alongside Barcelona’s Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi. His early career showed plenty of promise, and he was being spoken about as a potential star in the making. However, Villareal and Pablo’s form slumped in the 2018/19 season, resulting in West Ham making a £24 million swoop for the midfielder.
After signing for West Ham, Fornals represented Spain in the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship and contributed to lifting the trophy team. Many Hammers fans tuned in to see their new man in action and certainly weren’t disappointed. Expectations were high when the European Champion made his debut for West Ham, though he initially struggled to adapt to the pace of the Premier League. Despite this, he showed a great attitude and desire to improve – attributes have served him well throughout his time at the club and endeared him to the fans.
His hard work eventually paid off after impressing Moyes and fighting his way into the team last season. He providedfive goals and four assists, though his contributions to the team were much more than that. Fornals’ work rate was vital for the manager’s system, and he was always available to receive the ball and often involved in build-up play providing passes to the player who then set up the goal. One downside to his game is that he often lacked composure or confidence in front of goal, sometimes sculpturing good counter-attacking opportunities and leading him to undershoot his xG of 6.5. Despite this, Pablo was rewarded for his persistence with his brace against Southampton in the season’s final game to secure Europa League football for the Irons.
The Spaniard has certainly bought into the culture in East London, describing himself as a ‘hard-working cockney boy.’ He has endeared himself to the fans by embracing the club’s storied history, referencing in interviews the time the club spent in ‘the second division.’ It should also be noted he has played out of position many times this season, yet he still gives it his all. He stated himself:
"“This season, I’ve played left wing-back, left-winger, right-winger, midfielder, No10, and sometimes as a striker. This is what I love doing – playing football. It doesn’t matter where; I want to help my teammates."
This attitude has endeared him to the West Ham faithful and is a big part of his success – alongside his undoubted ability.