OPINION
You never really want to write players off after just a few months with a new team, particularly when they’re players who are new to English football.
However, there is real concern developing that West Ham United’s summer signing Pablo Fornals may turn out to be a very expensive flop for the Hammers.
With that said, if the club need to sell him in order to sign a finished product at his position, rather than the developmental prospect he obviously is, then that’s exactly what they should do.
When AC Milan winger Suso is lurking out there as a potential January signing, then the Irons have to give Fornals the boot in order to fund a swoop for the 25-year-old.
Italian outlet Calcio Mercato reported recently that Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham are two Premier League teams interested in signing the Spain international.
The former Liverpool man has experience of Premier League football, and over four years in Serie A has proved himself to be a top level talent. He would very much represent an upgrade on his fellow Spaniard.
The statistics demonstrate as much. As per WhoScored.com, the Milan star is averaging more shots, key passes and dribbles per game than the West Ham man. In fact, he is demolishing him in those categories. His tallies stand at 2.3, 2.6 and 1.6, whereas Fornals’s are just 1.2, 0.6 and 0.4.
Suso’s average WhoScored rating of 6.85 per game is clearly ahead of the 23-year-old’s 6.24, demonstrating that, even in what’s been a relatively slow start to the campaign for him, he is still far superior to Fornals.
In normal circumstances you wouldn’t want to ruthlessly offload a big money recruit like the former Villarreal man so soon, but if it opens up the possibility of signing Suso then it must be done.