Former West Ham players Pablo Fornals and Carlos Soler were in action for Spain on Tuesday night.

The pair started in midfield for the European champions in their international friendly against Egypt. The game ended 0-0, but the presence of the pair in the Spain XI was interesting from the perspective of a West Ham fan.

Both are very talented players, and yet they weren’t viewed that way during their time in East London. After acquiring Soler from PSG on a season-long loan, the Hammers chose not to make the move permanent. The 29-year-old now plays with Real Sociedad in La Liga.

Of course, Fornals had many memorable moments in claret and blue, and even lifted the UEFA Conference League trophy with David Moyes’ side in 2023 – which makes his sale six months later all the more baffling.

Since leaving for Real Betis in Spain, Fornals has been in superb form, consistently earning call-ups to the national team – something he rarely achieved previously, even when at his best at West Ham.

One can’t help but think that the pair should have been given more time, especially given how much they respected the club. In my eyes, Fornals was going to retire a Hammer – that’s how much he loved the club.

Likewise, when Soler faced suspension for a West Ham game in 2024, he admitted that he attended the match like any other match-going supporter, rather than expecting VIP treatment. Acts like this helped the fans warm to him.

West Ham have really struggled this season, and having two players of Soler and Fornals’ profile would have helped them massively, especially in this revival under Nuno Espírito Santo.

I appreciate wages were a huge obstacle in the case of Soler, but the sale of Fornals under David Moyes still leaves a sour taste in my mouth – especially when it appeared that the player would have rather stayed in Stratford.

The fact that the pair started in midfield for Spain – even in a meaningless friendly – speaks volumes. For a country that boasts midfield options such as Rodri, Pedri, Zubimendi and Dani Olmo, the fact that Soler and Fornals were considered suitable alternatives proves they would have been worth West Ham’s time this season.

But here we are. Although the Irons’ midfield has admittedly been one of the team’s brighter points this season, it still could have done with the Spanish duo.

Then again, it could have also done with Vladimír Coufal and Emerson. But that’s an argument for another day.