Fornals could be the new Carzola Arsenal have been crying out for
Pablo Fornals. This is a name that may not get instant recognition from people who do not follow Spanish football. However, it is a name that all things being equal will soon become a household name. Such is the talent level of the young Spaniard.
At first glance, both players seem to be two peas in a pod. Central midfielders with a talent for driving forward, both players have/are making names in terms of their forward play.
This approach suited Ramsey perfectly as he got to use his mobility, uncanny timing and fierce shot to good effect. His record of 60 goals and 60 assists in 340 games for the Gunners is quite decent for a central midfielder.
For a player who made his senior bow in 2015 against Real Madrid, his tally of 13 goals and 17 assists in 119 games for Malaga and Villarreal is not too shabby. Like Ramsey, Fornals is a chaotic midfielder. A chaotic midfielder is usually a man in the middle who can do something unexpected in order to turn the tide in a game. Many times for the Gunners, a driving run from midfield by Ramsey has either created a chance for teammates or gotten a goal at a crucial time (think the 2017 FA Cup final against Chelsea).
This means that unlike Ramsey, he can stay in midfield with a more defensive partner and dictate the tempo for his team. This was a role he played brilliantly at Malaga.
The return of Carzola and arrival of Santiago Caseres (before his unfortunate injury) has made Fornals play further forward for Javier Calleja’s team. Despite the team’s travails (sitting 16th in La Liga), he has continued to shine averaging 1.5 key passes per game.
It says a lot about the Spanish national team’s midfield that a talented player like Fornals was not even considered for the World Cup. He has been a fixture in the Spanish U-21 setup for about 2 years now. It’s only a matter of time before he joins the senior La Furia Roja setup as he is the prototype midfielder that Spanish manager Luis Enrique loves.
