Scouting Report: Carlos Soler

According to Sky Sources, Arsenal are keen on signing Valencia midfielder Carlos Soler.

Head coach Mikel Arteta is reportedly interested in the Spanish wonderkids services and is an admirer of the player. With the coronavirus pandemic bringing an uncertainty around football currently, there is also no guarantees that the transfer market will operate in the same way this summer. However, that hasn’t stopped clubs scouting and fielding out players for their squads next summer.

It’s been reported that Arteta will be planning on making signings from his native Spain, should the window go ahead as planned.

If rumours are believed to be true then Arsenal could have a so called ‘Cesc Fabregas 2.0’ on their hands.

So who is Carlos Soler and what could he bring to the Emirates?

Who is Carlos Soler? 

Born in Valencia, Spain. Soler joined hometown club Valencia CF’s youth setup in 2005 at the tender age of eight after impressing their scouts playing for his local neighbourhood team. After initially playing as a striker, he was pushed back to an attacking midfield player because of stature, physique and impressive technical skills.

Soler’s role change didn’t stop there, he was further pushed back into the central midfield areas upon his graduation to the reserves. He made his first appearance for the reserves in May 2015, a 1-0 loss to UE Cornella in the Segunda Division B.

In December that year, he finally got off the mark scoring his first goal, the second in a 2-2 draw with CF Badalona. The following year, he was rewarded with a new contract and promoted to the first team. Soler was an unused substitute in Valencia’s 2-1 home win against Atletico Bilbao in the UEFA Europa League. His first team debut finally came in La Liga, in December 2016, coming on as a second-half substitute for Mario Suarez in a 3-2 loss against Real Sociedad. He scored his first goal for the club against rivals Villareal.

Since then, the Spanish under-21 international has never looked back, becoming a key figure for both club and at international level. He’s made 20 under-21 appearances for Spain, scoring 4 goals.

Why is Soler so highly coveted? What’s his style play? 

One aspect that allows Soler to stand out, is his incredible versatility. He’s probably the only player in the Valencia camp capable of playing in a variety of positions. As a no.10, on the flanks, as a no.8 or a deep-lying no.6. His technique, vision, passing range, and remarkable ball control allows such variety in his game.

Under Albert Celades though, Soler is mostly deployed on the flanks. In Valencia’s last outing, their Champions League defeat to Italian outfit Atalanta, he lined up on the left in 4-4-2 system.

Despite being knocked out in Europe, this is a system that has rewarded Celades in La Liga with the club lying in 7th place in the La Liga standings. It is a system which allows structure as well as fluidity and most importantly, creativity, thrust and pace on the flanks mainly through Carlos Soler and Ferran Torres. The former is the creative hub, the latter is the speed maestro.

Soler isn’t your traditional winger, one who beats his marker with a piece of trickery and gets to the byline to cross it in. Not to say he can’t perform those traits, but the Spanish under-21 midfielder isn’t renowned for it. Instead, he’s more of a wide-playmaker. It is a role translated as a player who acts as the team’s primary source of creativity, drifting inside to find space in between the lines from which to play the telling pass in the final third and create a variety of chances.

His freedom to roam out from his designated area doesn’t mean he shirks from his defensive responsibilities. In a defensive scenario, the wide playmaker will take up his position on the wing to provide cover for his full-back and also to maintain a solid shape when lining up in low blocks, or in two banks of four.

These are all traits in which Soler is appointed to fulfil and he does so with such efficiency and cutting edge. Soler is a fast and fine dribbler, as well as his extraordinary vision and passing. He is perhaps more dangerous when he cuts inside or takes up positions in behind the forward two of Gamerio and Rodrigo, threading fine through balls or disrupting the flow of an opposition defence, it allows the full-backs to roam upfield and provide an extra body in attack.

However, Soler hasn’t enjoyed the best of seasons in terms of his goal contributions. In all competitions, he’s only registered 3 goals, and an assist in 25 appearances. In fact, Valencia aren’t amongst the most potent in front of goal. They’ve only scored 38 La Liga goals from 27 games, and hold a goal difference of -1. It doesn’t make for exciting reading, however, the league table doesn’t lie, they’re only 4 points from the Champions League places and they still hold a real chance of finishing in the top four.

 

 

This campaign may not be one to remember for Soler in terms of his goal contributions, however, he still adds so much more to Valencia’s traditional system. He may not be the quickest, but what he lacks in pace, he makes up for in his work-rate, tenacity and off the ball work. In La Liga, he’s averaged 0.8 tackles per game, 0.3 interceptions and has committed, rather tellingly, 1.1 fouls per game. Other than your exciting imaginative midfielder, he’s also a workhorse, a reliable performer. It’s no wonder why Celades continues to pick him week-in, week-out.

What could he offer Arsenal? 

It’s unclear how Soler will fit in at the Emirates. Arsenal do not line-up in a traditional 4-4-2 setup in order for him to line-up as he does on the flanks. However, you could see why Arteta holds an interest in the player. It’s his vision, passing, technical acumen and Spanish traits that makes him an attractive acquisition.

There is the belief that Arteta could line-up in a formation that he worked so well with at Manchester City alongside Pep Guardiola. If Arsenal lined up in that system, it won’t be foreign to Soler, he is traditionally an attacking midfielder.

How Arsenal could line-up next season if they sign reported targets:

He could line-up in a ‘free-8’ role alongside Dani Ceballos (providing he extends his loan from Real Madrid), one which lends him the opportunity to work in and around the no.10 positions while also helping out in defence too. Soler’s efficiency both in attack and defence as he has expertly shown since his breakthrough at Valencia could be a vital tool for Arteta if he lined up as shown above.

With much better performers alongside him, there’s no reason why Soler can’t become a much better performer at a bigger club.