Pablo Fornals no longer a ‘key man’ under David Moyes at West Ham United after summer exit talk
West Ham United midfielder Pablo Fornals is no longer a “key man” for David Moyes and the club could be open to tempting offers in the January transfer window, according to Paul Brown.
The former Daily Star journalist told GiveMeSport (11 September) that Fornals still has a part to play at the London Stadium this season and Moyes won’t allow him to leave unless it was a “deal that was too good to turn down”.
The big-money £24m signing still has just under a year left on his contract in East London and had been the subject of plenty of exit rumours in the closing weeks of the window with Sevilla reported to have reached an agreement to sign Fornals, according to Spanish media (Mundo Deportivo, 22 August).
No move materialised for the Spanish international but according to Brown, he is no longer the key performer for the West Ham United manager but Moyes won’t want him to depart without a replacement.
He said: “He’s no longer the key man that he was for Moyes. But I don’t think Moyes would allow him to go unless it was a deal that was too good to turn down.
“I think he’s still got a role to play for West Ham this season, and I’m not sure that the manager would want to weaken his squad without being able to bring someone in as a replacement.
So, I think he’s closer to the first team than some of the other players mentioned and probably won’t go now.”
Part to play but January exit still possible
Following the departures of Declan Rice, Gianluca Scamacca, Manuel Lanzini and Nikola Vlasic, there could well have been more exits on the cards with Fornals so close to being another crucial loss.
The Spaniard has proven a crucial tool for David Moyes on several occasions over the past two campaigns but with his contract having just a year to run, the East Londoners could well be tempted to cash in on him before long.
However, with his contract coming to an end in 2024, it won’t be viable for the club to demand huge fees for Fornals as he will only have just six months left on his contract when the January window comes around.
West Ham United certainly have a decision to make right now, and Moyes’ stance on the Spaniard seems to suggest he may stay at the club until his contract ends but there seems to be no talks over a new deal.
Fornals is a player in his prime years right now and it will be silly for the Hammers to let his contract run down into the last months of his deal without picking up a significant transfer windfall.
Considering Moyes’ stance, the Hammers have got to protect their £24m investment by offering some sort of short-term deal in order to get some sort of return when he eventually departs.
In other West Ham news, the club could be guilty of wasting millions after a new contract development at the London Stadium.