, Leeds United: Hernández signs on the dotted line

Leeds United: Hernández signs on the dotted line

On Saturday night I looked at Twitter and saw the name Pablo Hernández being bandied around as someone who Leeds were interested in signing. Then today, via various sources including the Twitter feed of Yorkshire Evening Post’s Phil Hay (below), came the news that the Spaniard had signed on as a Leeds player.

Speculation is a wonderful thing, a truly wonderful thing where things not real are given a sense of substance. A lot of football rumours are based around this idea – moulding something real from mere hints and rumours.

Take yesterday, the idea that Pablo Hernández was going to be a Leeds United player was merely speculation, then suddenly today it has all been hardened up into something and the Hernández signing is now confirmed.

However, the signing of Hernández leave a few gaps to be filled in as Leeds’ magnificent seventh comes in to much acclaim and increased fan furore. Chief amongst these is surely what can be more easily read than put together from various Google and YouTube searches.

Pablo Hernández – the route to Elland Road and Leeds United

Pablo Hernández is a left-winger who currently plays for Al-Arabi in the Stars League in Qatar, by virtue of still having a year left on his contract in the Middle East. Born in Spain, the 31-year-old came up to professional football and La Liga representation with Valencia via lower-league sides Onda and Valencia Mestella. He was at Valencia only a year before a free transfer Getafe, which again only lasted a year before an £850,000 transfer back to Valencia, where he stayed for four years until a £5.95m move to the English Premier League with Swansea.

Two seasons of football at Swansea saw him make 57 Premier League appearances before a £4.25m move to Al-Arabi, who are his current side. He’s been at Al-Arabi since mid-July 2014 but with a half-season loan to Dubai-based Al-Nasr (Jan 2015-Aug 2015) and a full-season loan to Spanish side Rayo Vallecano (Aug 2015-June 2016). As such, Hernández has played just the 13 games for Al-Arabi, scoring six times.

During his time with Swansea, 57 games spanning the 2012/13 and 2013/14 Premier League seasons, the Spaniard scored five goals and, crucially, laid on 15 assists for the South Wales side. This pattern persisted through to his recent spell in last season’s La Liga competition, the diminutive winger scoring three times and providing four assists.

Pablo Hernández – skills, thrills and stuff

Whilst five years old, the above video does at least demonstrate some of the skill-set that Hernández possesses. Yes, admittedly, the speed may have diminished meaning that he is less able to turn on the afterburners and ghost by opposition full-backs. But like a KO-heavy boxer’s last thing to desert him is his power, so the skills that Hernández possesses will be last to go from his football armoury.

It will be interesting to see what changes in personnel and formation will come about to incorporate the inclusion of Spaniard Hernández as he breezes into Elland Road as the Whites’ seventh signing of the summer transfer window.

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