Real Sociedad Star Warns On Physicality Ahead Of Bournemouth Game | OneFootball

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Former West Ham United star Carlos Soler has warned his Real Sociedad team-mates about the physicality of Premier League teams ahead of their game against Bournemouth tonight.

In the summer of 2024, West Ham agreed to a deal with Paris Saint-Germain to take the 29-year-old on loan without an option to buy.

During his one-season stay at the London Stadium, Soler failed to establish himself in the starting lineup and featured for 1,404 minutes in the Premier League with only two goal contributions to show.

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Following the expiry of the Spaniard’s loan deal, West Ham did not try to sign him on a permanent transfer despite Soler being keen on remaining in the Premier League.

He joined Real Sociedad in 2025, where he featured regularly for them and helped the Basque outfit win the Copa del Rey in his debut season, which earned them a spot in the Europa League.

Now tonight the ex-West Ham player is set to face Premier League opponents in the form of Bournemouth at home in the Europa League and he is cautious before going into the match.

Soler admitted that the 2024/25 campaign was difficult for West Ham and from his experience, he pointed out that games in the Premier League are very end-to-end.

He also issued a warning regarding what his Real Sociedad team-mates can expect from a Premier League team, as he highlighted that they are physical and winning one-on-one duels is key against them.

“I spent a year at West Ham”, Soler was quoted as saying by Spanish daily AS.

“It is true that, in sporting terms, it was not the best season for the club to be there, but that is a bit of what people say and what you see. 

“Ultimately, the matches are very end-to-end, very physical, all about winning one-on-one duels. 

“Perhaps here it is more tactical – trying to win the ball back from the opposition – everything is more tactical.

“Over there, it is very end-to-end and all about super-fast players.”

West Ham had a campaign to forget last season, as they were relegated to the Championship and they are keen to get back to the Premier League at their first attempt.

The Hammers are top of the Championship table with 14 points from seven games and ex-Derby County star Shaun Barker pointed out that the quality of Nuno Espirito Santo’s side was clearly visible