Pablo Fornals now has decision to make on possible West Ham United transfer exit as journalist shares David Moyes stance
West Ham United midfielder Pablo Fornals now has a crucial decision to make over his immediate future in East London with the Spaniard now no longer a “key player” for David Moyes.
Former Daily Star journalist Paul Brown told GiveMeSport on 10 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 £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 during the summer transfer window but that doesn’t mean an exit is still possible in January given Moyes’ fresh stance and the fact that Fornals will have just six months remaining on his deal in the winter window.
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.”
The Spaniard has proven a crucial tool for David Moyes on several occasions over the past two campaigns, especially in their run to an unprecedented Europa League triumph, but with his contract having just a year to run, the East Londoners could well be tempted to cash in on him before long.
Moyes’ stance on the Spaniard is totally understandable given their lack of options in the wide areas right now and how influential Fornals has always been when called upon by the Scottish manager.
Seven goals and two assists from all competitions last season [Transfermarkt] for a player who regularly came from the bench is a decent return but more crucially shows a player capable of proving the decisive factor when it matters most.
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.
Both Fornals and 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 he’ll be wanting to play regularly at the elite level 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, especially given his age.
A short-term contract offer from the club certainly can’t be ruled out in order to protect their asset but Fornals will need to think of himself and his future first and foremost and his current contract situation and squad position means a fresh challenge in January looks very likely.
In other West Ham news, the club could be guilty of wasting millions after a new contract development at the London Stadium.