This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
West Ham have got off to a good start to the season with only two defeats in eight league games, but the success of their summer signings has so far been mixed.
Sebastien Haller has gained plaudits for his all-round play and his return of four goals in seven league matches suggests he is adjusting well to to England, unlike Pablo Fornals.
The Spaniard arrived from Villarreal in the summer with a degree of expectation due to being described by Manuel Pellegrini as a “talented player”, his transfer fee of £24m, and some impressive performances in the U21 European Championship – but he is yet to find his feet at the Hammers.
The 23-year-old managed five goals and six assists in the last campaign but he is yet to show quality in the final third this time around. He only has one shot per game to show for his efforts, and is still without a goal or assist.
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Equally worrying are the signs that he is yet to get up to the speed of the Premier League.
He has achieved a rate of just 0.4 key passes and 0.5 successful dribbles per game, which is nowhere near good enough if he is to displace one of Manuel Lanzini, Felipe Anderson or the in-form Andriy Yarmolenko, who has three goals in seven league games.
Further evidence of that fact is his average of 18 passes per game. His lack of contribution will do little to persuade Pellegrini that he is deserving of a starting place and if the struggle to adapt continues then he could run out of time to impress.
By comparison, Anderson and Lanzini boast average pass stats of 51 and 45 respectively, and even with them in the side West Ham have only managed 11 goals in eight matches.
Despite that, Fornals needs a regular run in the side – even if it is of short-term detriment to the team.
Lanzini is not at the top of his game currently, offering only one assist in seven matches, and giving Fornals the responsibility to create and score goals from his favoured position could do him a great deal of good.
It will allow him game time to adjust to the league’s intensity, create an understanding with his teammates and settle at a new club where being in and out of the side could be damaging his morale.
If he is able to build in all of the above aspects then his quality should show and he may begin reproducing the consistent displays he showed in Spain, and the Hammers could certainly benefit from the 1.3 key passes he achieved last year.
