The signing of Israeli winger Manor Solomon by West Ham United, arriving from Tottenham Hotspur, has sparked widespread controversy among a number of the club’s fans and social media users who support the Palestinian cause. The player’s name has been linked to previous pro-Israel stances and posts made during the war in Gaza.
West Ham announced the completion of the deal, valued at around £5 million in fixed fees, plus £2 million in add-ons. Solomon signed a three-year contract with the option for an additional year’s extension, according to British reports and others specializing in the transfer market.
The controversy
Solomon’s move to West Ham was not just a new transfer market deal for a segment of the fan base, as the signing brought the player’s previous stances on the war in Gaza back to the forefront, particularly his posts that drew widespread criticism in 2023.
Solomon was criticised after a post he published following the bombing of Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza in October 2023, where he accused Palestinians of “killing their children” and placing responsibility on Israel, before re-publishing a statement by Israeli President Isaac Herzog regarding the attack. Al Jazeera covered the incident in a previous report, noting that fans had demanded at the time that Tottenham take a stance on the player’s posts.
With the player’s name resurfacing after his move to West Ham, supporters of the Palestinian cause recalled those stances, considering that signing him conflicts with their positions on the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
West Ham fans divided
Discussions among West Ham fans showed a clear division over the signing; while some fans expressed their rejection of Solomon joining the club, others saw the necessity of separating the player’s political stances from his performance on the field.
The fan discussions reflect the extent of the controversy surrounding the deal, as a number of fans wrote pro-Palestine and anti-signing phrases, while others defended the player, asserting that his nationality or political positions should not be a criterion for judging the sports deal.
The controversy had emerged even before the deal was finalized, with reports and discussions circulating among West Ham fans about Solomon’s positions on Israel and Palestine, coinciding with negotiations between the club and Tottenham.
Solomon: The controversy from Tottenham to West Ham
This is not the first time Solomon finds himself at the heart of a political controversy related to football. In October 2023, his posts concerning the war on Gaza drew criticism from football fans, while Tottenham did not announce at the time that they would take action against the player because of those posts, according to the Al Jazeera report.
Sportswise, Solomon enters his new experience with West Ham after playing for Tottenham since 2023, and spending the previous season on loan at Leeds United, before West Ham decided to sign him permanently.
Thus, the English club finds itself facing a deal that combines sporting calculations and political controversy, at a time when players’ stances on the war on Gaza and Israel have become a strongly present element in fan discussions within European football
Featured image via the Canary
By Alaa Shamali
