Four things you need to know about West Ham’s Pablo Fornals

The signing of Spanish international Pablo Fornals is a big one for West Ham United – and a signing fans are excited to see take to the pitch in the upcoming Premier League season.

On paper, 23-year old Fornals ticks a lot of boxes. He’s young, but a proven goalscorer in a European league.

He’s got existing talent, but also buckets of potential and is a signing that looks like an investment in our future.

He’s impressed in pre-season, and looks to be a name on everyone’s fantasy team sheet – so here’s four fabulous facts you need to know about Fornals.

He’s worth a pretty penny

At around £24million, he’s West Ham’s third most expensive player. This is made all the more impressive given that he’s only 23. Formals played a role in Spain’s triumph at the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, finding the net against Poland and Belgium, and delivering an astonishingly good assist.

He’s not afraid to splash the cash when it comes to his career

Fornals made his senior debut at Malaga but wished to move to Villarreal CF in 2019. One thing stood in his way – his £11million buyout clause. Not to worry; Pablo paid it off himself, in full, to ensure he could play for Villarreal CF, and made his way there on a five-year contract. Here’s hoping he’s never heard of the Chinese Super League.

He’s got some seriously fancy footwork

The attacking midfielder is a great passer, quick on his feet – and he doesn’t half do some fancy tricks to get the ball in the back of the net, including a stunning ‘Rabona’ goal against Spanish side Huesca. The last time we’ve seen a goal like that, the snake that scored it broke the hearts of Hammers; let’s hope that second time’s a charm when it comes to a player of that talent.

Jack Wilshere thinks he’s pretty good

In fairness, Jack Wilshere has a lot of experience observing games of football – so we can probably trust his opinion. After playing a pre-season game with Formals, he couldn’t stop singing the young Spaniard’s praise, saying: ‘Pablo also looked like he’s been here for years.’