West Ham should have kept former star at the club

Last season, West Ham had started the season on a good note and found themselves at sixth place in the Premier League after the first half of the season. However, some players didn't quite perform well in former manager David Moyes's tactical setup and left the Hammers in January. One of them was former West Ham star Pablo Fornals, who arrived at the London Stadium from La Liga Villarreal in 2019.

In his five seasons at the London Stadium, Fornals became one of the best playmakers in the Premier League and scored 23 goals and provided 18 assists in his 203 appearances for West Ham. Although, his last season at the club wasn't great, he established himself as one of the key players for West Ham during his time at the club. Moreover, he also convinced new signing Carlos Soler to join West Ham on a season long loan move from Paris Saint-Germain in this summer transfer window. 

West Ham should have kept former star at the club

After leaving West Ham, Pablo Fornals returned to the La Liga and joined Real Betis this year. Fornals is again thriving in the La Liga and given the fact that Betis signed him for £7 million from the Hammers, it raises the question that whether West Ham should have kept Fornals at the club. After Fornals's departure, David Moyes also left the London Stadium after the end of the season and new manager Julen Lopetegui replaced him.

While Moyes preferred a more defensive tactical setup where forwards had to defend as well, Lopetegui's tactics are more possession based which focuses on player's trying to create much chances from the build up play. This would have been great for Fornals, as the 28-year-old is a creative midfielder who is brilliant in creating huge chances around the box. Further, Fornals is a versatile midfielder, who can play on the left wing as well, which would allow Mohammed Kudus to play in his preferred central playmaker position. 

Therefore, West Ham should have allowed Fornals to join Betis on a loan move and then given him chances in the preseason under new manager Julen Lopetegui, to return to his best form under Lopetegui's tactical setup.