👋 Farewell, Pablo Fornals

[Cellar-door]

If I was Haller''s agent I would keep my phone turned off

I assume clubs all over Europe can look at us, look at our striker history and recognize a chance to get a player who was in high demand in the summer for far less all because he's being played against his strengths in an awful side for a calamity of a club. Gonna be like Zaza, Chicharito, etc. Send him back to Europe on the cheap, he bags a bunch of goals and if sold goes for a profit for his new club.

[Crouchend_Hammer]

Honest question, was he in high demand in the summer?
I assume a couple of German clubs most have been sniffing about but anyone else?

[mumbles87]

Honest question, was he in high demand in the summer?
I assume a couple of German clubs most have been sniffing about but anyone else?

Arsenal were linked with him

he is a very talented young player.. and really is about the only player bar Rice and Antonio showing any effort

edit sorry I assume you were talking about Fornals here but on second read it sounds like Haller? Man united were linked

if it was fornals then my above comment stands

[il_martello_di_genovesi]

Honest question, was he in high demand in the summer?
I assume a couple of German clubs most have been sniffing about but anyone else?

I watched Haller at Utrecht and Frankfurt and was massively impressed. I was very pleased when we signed him. We haven't got THAT Haller. There is absolutely a case of not using him properly so we don't get his best, but there is also a case of him not putting in the extra effort. We signed a good striker that didn't fit the team and now clearly has the hump every game. A mess as per usual.

[Crouchend_Hammer]

Arsenal were linked with him

he is a very talented young player.. and really is about the only player bar Rice and Antonio showing any effort

edit sorry I assume you were talking about Fornals here but on second read it sounds like Haller? Man united were linked

if it was fornals then my above comment stands

I meant Haller.

I like Fornals.

I will be sad when he leaves in the summer

[mumbles87]

I meant Haller.

I like Fornals.

I will be sad when he leaves in the summer

out of this current lot the only ones ill be gutted to see go are fornals and rice

id hope antonio would stay..

I could see randolph staying

the rest.. wont miss them

[Cellar-door]

Honest question, was he in high demand in the summer?
I assume a couple of German clubs most have been sniffing about but anyone else?

Dortmund and Bayern were considering him but decided not to match our bid allegedly, United were waiting to see how Lukaku shook out.

Also he had said he would only go for Champions League which sacred off other sides, allegedly we got him to come here with a high salary and a release clause, if we go down he'll almost certainly be willing to go anywhere in the top flight.

[Faithless]

allegedly we got him to come here with a high salary and a release clause, if we go down he'll almost certainly be willing to go anywhere in the top flight.

If true that does sum up our terrible negotiating strategy, I use strategy advisedly, to be the amateur ill pile of I (we) all thought it was.

I'm not rewriting history on my opinion of Haller, I think he's a good player that's not had his strengths played to etc but to sign him for that fee, not set up to his strengths and over him over the odds... that's West Hams transfer "policy" under these owners summed up succinctly.

Reminds me of Sheffield Wednesday getting Carbone and PdC back in the day with false promises and high wages. That ended well.

[sxreject1]

Fornals will be a good player. He is the later day Javier Mascherano, totally under used by **** managers who has destroyed what confidence he had.

I for one wish him well when he leaves, and would say that I hope he doesnt come back to haunt us, but where we are going there isnt any chance he ever play against us again.

[Korea Hammer]

He is a trier, and it does take time to settle, and no doubt he will go on to be a good player, but in the final analysis he has been a failure and produced almost none of the creative ability that he showed in Spain. And that's one of our better players this season.

[hammer1975]

He is a trier, and it does take time to settle, and no doubt he will go on to be a good player, but in the final analysis he has been a failure and produced almost none of the creative ability that he showed in Spain. And that's one of our better players this season.

He’s been saved in people’s perceptions by the fact that he’s been better than Lanzini. A low bar. He’s not shown £25m-worth in my view and was very poor in the first half yesterday. He couldn’t complain about being hooked. He seems to put more effort and running in than others - but that’s not enough. I have no doubt he’ll go on to be a very good player if played in a balanced team - that’s likely to be elsewhere once we go down though.

[Jon]

I've been very critical of Fornals.

However his form has improved whilst Lanzini's is in reverse. Moyes' love of Lanzini is misplaced and Fornals is the fall guy which is unfair and damaging to the team.

[Korea Hammer]

He’s not shown £25-worth in my view

A bit harsh there, 1975.

[Beavis Danzig]

He is a trier, and it does take time to settle, and no doubt he will go on to be a good player, but in the final analysis he has been a failure and produced almost none of the creative ability that he showed in Spain. And that's one of our better players this season.

he was getting a goal or assist every week at the end of pellegrini's time here (and the very beginning of moyes' time before he got his hooks in).

he was the one player moving in a positive direction.

[hammer1975]

A bit harsh there, 1975.

Duly edited - thanks mate.

To be clear - he could go on to be worth £25m, just not seen it yet. I think some of his praise is meant more as an indictment of others than praise for him specifically.

Yesterday for example - the default setting for people is now that he should stay on and Lanzini come off - Lanzini looked more like doing something In the game yesterday than Fornals imo. Granted that’s the first time that has looked the case. My view is that Moyes believes Lanzini’s form is confidence based and a switch has gone in his head. He is hoping/thinking that some spark from Lanzini in a game will flip the switch back again. I’m not so sure.

One thing that baffles me with Fornals is why successive West Ham managers don’t play him central. He still doesn’t look like a wide player to me.

[hammers92]

Fornals got player of the U21 euros by playing behind the striker and centrally. It's just madness to put him on the wing, where he doesn't have much pace either.

He's a playmaker, imo similar to someone like Mata. Drop Lanzini, stick two defensive midfielders behind him (i.e buy one) and let him do his stuff. I really rate him.

[MB]

One thing that baffles me with Fornals is why successive West Ham managers don’t play him central. He still doesn’t look like a wide player to me.

He isn’t, but it is difficult to fit him in the middle as both managers seem to think we need two players in front of the defence.

Perfect world he’d be part of a three with Rice sitting but we have no natural partner for him.

I like him but always thought he was an odd signing given needs elsewhere and the difficulty of slotting him in.

[jastons]

I think it's more that we don't have a wide player so Fornals gets pushed out there. A bit like Scholes on the left for England.

[hammer1975]

Fornals got player of the U21 euros by playing behind the striker and centrally. It's just madness to put him on the wing, where he doesn't have much pace either.

He's a playmaker, imo similar to someone like Mata. Drop Lanzini, stick two defensive midfielders behind him (i.e buy one) and let him do his stuff. I really rate him.

He played wide in the Euro u21’s
Talk of him being the star player seems to have become gospel but is not my recollection. Ceballos was their CAM, and their two defensive mids were great every game. Fornals was on the bench for a couple of games and subbed in the final. He certainly scored or assisted some decent and important goals though.

Despite all that i think his best position is central.

[Rio]

Moyes blinkered determination in playing lanzini over fornals is destroying the kid and going to result in him wanting to leave. Robbing us of one of the only genuinely talented and exciting players we have.