Tomas Soucek makes jaw-dropping admission that will leave West Ham fans stunned. West Ham United midfielder Tomas Soucek has just made a truly staggering admission.
West Ham signed Tomas Soucek on loan from Slavia Prague in January 2020, before making his deal a permanent one six months later. The Hammers paid around £17.6 million to bring the 29-year-old to the London Stadium and on the whole, he’s been a very good player for us.
He has bagged 32 goals and 11 assists in 207 games in all competitions for West Ham – a decent return indeed.
However, Soucek has been heavily linked with an exit from the London Stadium over the past year or so, due to a really poor run of form. He has never let the Hammers down, but his limitations when in possession are obvious for everyone to see.
Soucek held us back in transition so many times last season, and was a key factor behind our inability to hit our opponents hard and fast on the counter.
So does he have any kind of future under a manager who insists on a slow patient build-up through the middle of the pitch? Tomas Soucek admission will leave West Ham fans stunned
The former Slavia Prague man was a key figure for the Hammers during David Moyes’s reign at the London Stadium.
However, there are question marks regarding whether he will hold the same importance with Lopetegui at the helm
The West Ham midfielder surely knows that he will have to adapt…right? Soucek sat down to speak with WHUFC.com whilst out in America on our pre-season tour of Florida.
The big Czech Republic international spoke about the upcoming season ahead under Lopetegui, and made a truly stunning claim.
“It’s true that sometimes people don’t see or don’t appreciate all of the work I try to do on the ball,” he observed. “They speak about me about goals or assists, but that’s not all I want to do.”
“I have a different role with Czech Republic than I did before at West Ham, and it’s similar to the role I had at Slavia Prague, so I love this role,” he continued. “It’s a lot with the ball, I like to play from the goalkeepers and be the heart of the team, so that’s what I love.”
Well Tomas, I’m sorry to break it to you, but you will never be a player who’s comfortable in possession. Nor will you be the Hammers’ go-to midfielder when our goalkeeper is looking for someone to pass to.
As harsh as this may sound, West Ham United’s Tomas Soucek is arguably the worst Premier League midfielder I have ever seen with the ball at his feet.
His 75.7% pass completion rate in the Premier League last season tells us all we need to know, and he’s hardly the type of player to attempt 50-yard diagonals on the regular!
The way that Lopetegui likes his teams to pass out from the back and on into midfield means that the 29-year-old will not play a crucial role for us this season and beyond, as far as I’m concerned.
Maybe I’ll be proven wrong, but I just can’t see it, and I’m hugely surprised that Soucek even suggested that he’s a player who’s comfortable in possession.
I fully expect to see Lopetegui go out this summer and sign an energetic and dynamic central midfielder who loves the ball at his feet and can pick a pass.
An upgrade on Soucek will be a necessity if West Ham are to make some genuine progress.
