WEST HAM JUST ANNOUNCED THE SIGNING OF 27-YEARS-OLD PL STRIKER AND THE WHOLE WORLD IS SHOCKED-NO ONE SAW THIS COMING.

WEST HAM JUST ANNOUNCED THE SIGNING OF 27-YEARS-OLD PL STRIKER AND THE WHOLE WORLD IS SHOCKED-NO ONE SAW THIS COMING.

Only a handful of hours remain until the summer transfer window closes, so West Ham United and Paris Saint-Germain are racing against time to ensure that the Carlos Soler transfer occurs.

A move away from PSG is ideal for Soler as he attempts to get back on the radar of Spain manager Luis de la Fuente ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In the 2023-24 season, Soler made 26 appearances in all competitions for the French club, scoring once and contributing four assists.

Moreover, West Ham’s leadership wants Soler, and the feeling is mutual; all parties appear keen on this transfer. The latest information in this file comes from transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, who reports that Soler is eager to join West Ham.

Romano adds that technical director Tim Steidten and the Spanish manager Julen Lopetegui are actively pushing for the move. Discussions are ongoing, and West Ham is expected to make a strong push to finalize the deal before the transfer window closes.

According to one report, West Ham’s plan is to sign Soler on a loan deal with a €25 million obligation to buy. While other options with lower wages have been considered to stay within budget, Steidten presents these alternatives. However, Lopetegui remains particularly interested in Soler.

West Ham urged not to sign Reiss Nelson from Arsenal

The Hammers have had a positive transfer window but there is a point where they could make too many deals to form a gelled-together squad.

This has seen Lopetegui start the season, reluctant to start the majority of his new signings who have been left on the bench to start the opening two games.

Sky Sports and talkSPORT journalist Bardell believes Julen Lopetegui already has positive options in forward areas so doesn’t need the 24-year-old.

Speaking exclusively to West Ham Zone, Bardell said: “The going rate would probably be £20m-plus, which would seem expensive.
West Ham’s old issues resurface in first game under Julen Lopetegui despite significant defensive reinforcements as they lose 2-1 to Aston Villa at home

There may be a new manager in the home dugout of the London Stadium but old problems remain.

West Ham ended last season under David Moyes on a run of 18 league games without a clean sheet.

That is now 19 after Julen Lopetegui’s Hammers conceded after just three minutes and 40 seconds, with Villa’s Amadou Onana allowed a free header from two yards out.

West Ham’s defence was cut open far too easily and had Villa been more clinical the scoreline could have been more damning.

The Hammers have signed three defenders this summer, but only Max Kilman was deemed fit to start against Villa, with Jean-Clair Todibo and Aaron Wan-Bissaka on the bench.

Aston Villa’s new midfielder Amadou Onana scored on his debut after just four minutes

West Ham target Jhon Duran scored the winner for Aston Villa just minutes before the final whistle

Julen Lopetegui could only watch on as West Ham conceded inside five minutes of his reign

In fact, only two of their eight new signings started. Holding midfielder Guido Rodriguez was the other.

There are a lot of new players but a lot of them arrived late,’ Lopetegui said. ‘We have players who are not ready to play 90 minutes
Kilman | We worked really hard and I’m sure our luck will turn

16 MINUTES AGO
Maximilian Kilman feels West Ham United can take ‘lots of positives’ from their 2-1 opening-day Premier League defeat by Aston Villa.

The Hammers gave the UEFA Champions League qualifiers a strong run for their money at London Stadium, recovering from conceding inside four minutes to equalise before half-time in Julen Lopetegui’s first game as Head Coach.

Unai Emery’s slick side created chances of their own, most notably when Leon Bailey thumped against the post with Villa already leading through Amadou Onana’s fourth-minute header.

But after Lucas Paquetá levelled from the spot on 34 minutes, Lopetegui’s men looked the more likely scorers for a period either side of half-time, with Tomáš Souček seeing his goalbound shot blocked by Lucas Digne.

However, despite the impressive Kilman being joined on the pitch by fellow debutants Niclas Füllkrug and Crysencio Summerville, Villa substitute Jhon Durán denied the hosts any reward for their efforts with a powerful low strike past Alphonse Areola eleven minutes from full-time.

Despite the result, the No26 knows the Irons are still early work in progress under their hew Head Coach.
“There were some really good parts and obviously it was our first game under the new manager so there were lots of positives to take,” he observed. “We’ve got to just build from it and take the positives into the next game.

“[Lopetegui] wanted us to be more aggressive coming into the second half and to control the game a bit more. We did control the game for large parts of the game and we had better chances in the second half, but unfortunately we didn’t get anything from the game and that’s something we need to build on and make sure we’re ready for next week.”

Kilman was disappointed by the nature of Villa’s goals, with Onana heading in from a corner and Durán completing a one-touch move that cut open the West Ham back line.

“That’s something we definitely need to improve on, but we grew into the game and we came into the half-time in a good position,” the centre-back continued. “We needed to fight in the second half, but unfortunately things didn’t go our way today.

“The winner was a tough one to take, but we worked really hard and I’m sure our luck will turn.”

For Kilman himself, making his debut in Claret and Blue was a moment to savour, and he produced a personal performance that certainly bodes well for the future, with defensive solidity combined with a willingness to play the ball forward positively through the lines.

“It was a proud moment for me personally, coming to this big Club, and I just want to do my best,” he said. “It was a good first start, but obviously we as a team we didn’t get a good result, but it’s something to build on and hopefully there will be many more good games.“We’ve got a lot of new signings and a new manager so obviously we’re going through a big transitional phase. This takes time and we’ve only had a few weeks in pre-season, but as the weeks go on I’m sure we’ll build into a stronger and stronger team.”