Written by : @JGriffithJourno

Pablo Fornals looks the real deal doesn’t he? If his outstanding Under-21 European Championship performances are anything to go by, it would certainly seem he is. But what exactly can we expect from the Spaniard? Well, the answer is simple – A LOT.

Fornals plays predominantly as an attacking midfielder with all the qualities of a trequartista due to his dribbling and passing quality. However, Manuel Pellegrini has expressed his desire to continue deploying a 4141 formation. This is the formation we ended the season using and it is also the system we have seen in pre-season against Altach. This means Fornals has been signed to play either in midfield or on the wing, two positions which he has played previously before. Jack Wilshere recently called Fornals a ‘quality player’ in an interview with Football.London and was also quoted as saying ‘competition is good for everyone’. These quotes suggest Pellegrini may look at deploying Fornals beside Noble or Wilshere in front of Rice when the season begins.

Fornals is a brilliant dribbler and he has an obsession with through balls, so see him as a combination of Mark Noble and Manuel Lanzini. But while he has all the attributes of a central midfielder and could play there, it seems that Fornals thrives more playing as a wide midfielder. This is where he was utilised by Spain during the Under-21 Euros this summer and the numbers and performances he produced were scintillating.

Pablo Fornals only made 3 starts but he also featured twice off the bench, meaning he featured in every game for eventual champions Spain. In these matches he managed 2 goals and claimed 1 delightful outside-of-the-boot assist. His underlying numbers were just as impressive too. He averaged 2.4 shots a game; for comparison Felipe Anderson averaged 1.6 in the Premier League last year. He also completed 89% of his passes during the tournament, showing a composure on the ball that suits Pellegrini’s possession-based system. And despite occupying the left wing throughout the tournament Fornals still completed 2 tackles/interceptions per 90 minutes, only 0.1 less than his amount whilst playing through the middle for Villarreal.

These defensive numbers give us an extra factor to be excited about. It means our glaring weakness last season may be plugged inadvertently. Our midfielders offered little-to-no protection for a shaky backline last term, with Rice left isolated for the majority of the season as the sole protector of the defence. But with Fornals on one wing and Anderson on the other we could see the number of crosses we face from wide be decreased as their defensive work rates help us contain potent attacking sides and perhaps pick up some more results.

If we are going to push for Europe and have a good season, Fornals will be at the heart of it. He has been brought in to keep play ticking over and add an extra creative spark alongside Lanzini and Anderson. He has the passing ability to be a constant threat, he did bag 12 assists, the same as a certain Lionel Messi, in La Liga just 2 years ago. Whilst his U21 performances this summer showed the eye for goal he possesses. He also covers a number of positions across the midfield.

It is time to get excited Hammers fans, Haller only joined to play with Pablo after all!