Napoli ready to seal Carlos Soler transfer after West Ham announcement
West Ham recruited heavily last summer, but already face the need to rebuild their squad following a woeful season.
The Hammers spent large sums on high-profile signings but regressed on the pitch, and Julen Lopetegui was replaced by Graham Potter midway through the season.
West Ham now need to clear out some of their squad if they are to bring in new players this summer, and have already confirmed several depatures.
Carlos Soler is one of those, returning to Paris Saint-Germain following his loan spell, but he could already have his next move lined up.
Napoli want to sign Soler
Soler was one of several inconsistent performers for West Ham throughout the season, having arrived as a fairly big name last summer.
The former Valencia midfielder could not quite cut it at European Champions PSG, but although tidy, he did not catch the eye at West Ham.
| Stat | Under Lopetegui | Under Potter | Total |
| Apps | 15 | 16 | 31 |
| Starts | 8 | 6 | 0 |
| Goals | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Assists | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Gianluca Di Marzio (4 June) has now reported that Italian champions Napoli are keen on signing Soler now that his loan at West Ham has ended.
West Ham are not expected to make a move to bring Soler back to East London, while PSG are also keen to sell him this summer.
West Ham right to move on from Soler
Although some fans would have liked to see Soler stay, with some believing that a second season at the London Stadium could see the best of him after a difficult year, letting him depart is the right decision.
While Soler was a loan signing, he came with substantial wages, and these could be put to use on a starting-quality player rather than one who could be in and out of the team again.
West Ham also need to lower the average age of their squad, and signing high-potential younger players may be better in the long-term than another loan or a permanent deal for Soler.
Soler may end up performing superbly at Napoli, but West Ham need to have the bigger picture in mind when it comes to their transfers now, and the Spaniard would not have been a viable long-term addition.