Pablo Fornals has disclosed that he left West Ham because David Moyes couldn’t guarantee him sufficient playing time. This revelation isn’t surprising to Hammers fans, who had grown fond of the Spaniard. Personally, I always admired Fornals, as he seemed to genuinely care for the club and its supporters, making the way his tenure ended regrettable.
The irony of Fornals departing just six months before a possession-focused manager arrived isn’t lost on me. I’ll always believe that being played out of position on the left side hindered him. Under Moyes, West Ham’s left wing was always a graveyard shift for any player, but Fornals took it on without complaint.
In an interview with Canal Sur Radio, Fornals explained his exit from West Ham. His playing time had been reduced earlier in the season, though he started seeing more action weeks before leaving. With his contract expiring in June, Fornals decided to move on.
“I was playing less this season, but I played a lot in January,” he said. “The situation favored me because my contract was ending, and mentally, my family’s time in London had run its course. If not at Christmas, it would have been in the summer. The result would have been the same.”
“I wasn’t the type of player they wanted to offload, but David [Moyes] told me he couldn’t give me the minutes I was seeking.”
Fornals joined West Ham from Villarreal in 2019, during Manuel Pellegrini’s management. Now at Real Betis, Fornals has reunited with his former boss and has been a regular presence under his direction this year.
May have improved under a Spanish coach but never sure he was high enough quality for the premier league. Think he’d be playing for Spain by now if he was. Always tried hard. Likeable lad, scored the odd goal due to his sheer effort but probably missed an awful lot more. Not sure he was ever going to make it to the top of the pile whoever the manager was.
Good player. But like Dawson, when you’ve got a family that plays into your decision making process.
Average player who seems vastly overrated by a lot of fans because he smiled a lot and tried hard. If we want to win more trophies, we need to aim a lot higher than the calibre of the fornals’ of the football world.
Such a shame. Fornals felt himself an iron at heart.