Carlos Soler superb as Potter faith pays off for West Ham v Chelsea
Carlos Soler rubber-stamped his starting credentials with his performance as West Ham United lost 2-1 against Chelsea on Monday.
Facing the Blues in a London derby overshadowed by transfer Deadline Day, Soler held his own on the left side of Graham Potter’s makeshift front three before being withdrawn 13 minutes from time.
Coming on the same day the Irons recalled James Ward-Prowse from his loan spell at Nottingham Forest and signed Evan Ferguson on loan from Brighton, Soler’s performance made a big statement.
On paper, the Spaniard would likely be one of the players to come out of the starting XI to accommodate their two ‘new’ players, but Soler made clear to Potter that he’s worthy of a starting place.
Carlos Soler stands out for West Ham v Chelsea
Soler’s versatility has seen him operate as a deep-lying anchor, a box-to-box runner, in the hole and out wide so far in his loan spell at the London Stadium, occupying the latter role under Potter thus far.
However, with Ward-Prowse returning in the engine room and Ferguson’s arrival likely to see skipper Jarrod Bowen move back to the flanks, Soler faces a fight to keep his place in Potter’s first-choice team.
Based on his display against Chelsea though, the 28-year-old can win that fight, as he contested a total of 11 duels and came away with a 67 per cent success rate from nine on the ground [FotMob].
With the ball at his feet, Soler won two free-kicks, completing 91 per cent of his 23 attempted passes [SofaScore] and creating a chance for the goalscorer Bowen which registered 0.12 expected assists.
Limited to just 33 touches as Chelsea dominated the ball, Soler threaded two passes into the final third and wasn’t dispossessed on a single occasion, recovering it three times in total.
Those three ball recoveries contributed to seven defensive actions as the Spaniard completed two of his three tackles (67 per cent – FotMob), and put in a clearance and interception apiece.
It remains to be seen how soon Ferguson and Ward-Prowse become regular fixtures for Potter, but with Soler secure in the side, the Hammers boss may have to find room for them elsewhere in his system.
In other West Ham news, one European club are keen on signing an out-of-favour Irons star before their transfer window closes.
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