Farewell Fornals: Pablo moves to West Ham

Villarreal and West Ham have announced the transfer of Pablo Fornals to the EPL side. The price was not disclosed by Villarreal, but is believed to be in the range of €27m plus 10% of any future transfer, which could make the total around €30-32m. It’s a fair price for both teams given that Pablo is only 23 and has impressed everywhere he’s been.

Born in Castellón, Pablo was part of Villarreal’s youth setup from ages seven to twelve, then went to Castellon for four years before moving on to Malaga. After two years there, Villarreal signed him for €12m in the summer of 2017. (Both Castellón and Malaga will get a bit of the transfer fee, I believe).

In Pablo’s first year he was one of the assist leaders in the league; last season, he found his playing time diminished with the arrival of Santi Cazorla but still found time to score one of the goals of the season against Athletic Club.

He’s a versatile player who can feature in the center of midfield, on either side, or in a more advanced position. His workrate is phenomenal, and he played very well in the Europa League for us (three goals and three assists there).

We wish him all the best in England!