West Ham’s new signing Carlos Soler has been compared to one of the club’s greatest ever players.

While it was a deadline day announcement, the deal for Carlos Soler had been in the works for weeks before it went through. West Ham had to wait for one of their midfielders to depart on loan for it to happen so once James Ward-Prowse’s move happened it wasn’t long until Soler’s did.

Although he never really got the opportunity to prove himself at PSG, starting just 26 games in Ligue 1 across two campaigns, his form when playing for his boyhood club Valencia was unbelievable. The midfielder scored 22 goals in his last two full seasons in La Liga, assisting a further 13 in that time.

His inch perfect passing and excellent dribbling has drawn some comparisons to another creative player that West Ham used to have on their books: Dimitri Payet. GIVEMESPORT, reports that there are some real similarities between the two which is incredibly high praise for the Spaniard. Ability wise, Payet is one of the best players the Hammers have ever had, so if Soler’s got even half the individual talent the Frenchman had then he will certainly be a crucial player for Julen Lopetegui.

The only real issue aside from his lack of playing time over the past two years is where he actually fits in the side. The new gaffer seems to like to play with two defensive minded midfielders, and it’s hard to imagine he will drop Paqueta or Kudus. At the same time it’s also unlikely that Soler would have joined without being offered more playing time than he’s currently getting.

Hopefully Soler is able to live up to the hype he’s been given. Payet’s name isn’t one that gets chucked about in comparisons lightly, let’s just pray we get someone of that quality without the drama he brought.