The end of last season sparked a flurry of stories linking Tomas Soucek with a move away from West Ham.
At Claret & Hugh, we were fortunate to get the inside scoop from the playerâs representatives, who consistently stressed that Soucek was a happy Hammer.
The general understanding was that the Czech midfielder wanted to stay and sign a new deal, but manager Graham Potter was looking to head in a different direction.
Soucek has been a fantastic signing for West Ham and rightly earned his place as a fansâ folk hero. That said, even his biggest admirers would admit his strengths donât lie in a pass-and-move game. So itâs understandable why a coach who prefers possession-based football might want to move him on.
The problem is, what Soucek excels atâscoring goals and defending his own boxâmakes him attractive to many other clubs. Midfielders who guarantee goals are rare, and thatâs exactly what Big Sou brings to the table.
So it came as no shock to see him linked with Leeds United and, of course, Evertonâwhere former West Ham boss David Moyes is now in charge. Moyesieâs admiration for Soucek is well known, and a reunion seemed inevitable.
Former boss David Moyes and Soucek were a West Ham dream teamÂ
Soucek transfer talk has died down
Yet as the transfer window approaches the end of its first month, not a single bid has arrived. Meanwhile, Everton have been linked with almost every midfielder except the 30-year-old Soucek.
Perhaps Moyes and Everton have had a change of heart, deciding they no longer need his unique skill set. Which leaves me wonderingâmight Soucek actually stay at West Ham after all?
He may not get the new contract heâs hoping for, but a compromise might be found where he remains as a highly effective squad player.
Personally, I love the fella. For me, the issue was never Soucekâit was pairing him with both Ward-Prowse, Rodriguez or Ălvarez in the same midfield. If he can accept a squad role and realise he wonât be an automatic starter, Iâd be more than happy to see him stay.
Souchek and Rice was a great partnership. Rice learnt a lot from Souchek. Iâd sacrifice his passing ability which really isnât that bad in exchange for the game winning goals.
I’m an Everton fan can i say why would Soucek to Everton be stalling when West ham haven’t actually put him up for sale we’re not even in for him we’d have interest of course we would if he become available 100% but nothings happening until West ham and Graham Potter say they don’t want him anymore
I donât understand why when weâre looking for centre halves that Soucek hasnât been looked at for that position, he reads the game quite well, is strong in the tackle, good in the air & would still be dangerous at attacking set pieces. It must surely be worth looking at if weâre so strapped for cash.
The only way I could see Soucek going to Everton is if his Czech mate went there.
Said it before but if you are losing and we donât look like scoring throwing him on as an impact sub while maybe going a bit more direct would suit him down to the ground. What a weapon to have on the bench.
Shame Moyes won’t take jwp off our hands he pushed hard for him and made us massively overspend.
To be realistic I canât see why any club would want to bring any of our veteran army into their ranks not only have they seen their better days but in the way of income what would we honestly recieve enough to buy more has beens,isnât it about time for Sullivan and his entourage to wave goodbye and let someone run this club with a strategy that makes sense
In agree with you, Gonzo. Tomas the Tank Engine must stay!