Tomas Soucek set for wage increase at West Ham as talks commence
West Ham United midfielder Tomas Soucek has begun talks with the club over a “new and improved” contract to keep him at the London Stadium.
According to 90min, the Czech Republic international is looking to receive a contract that better reflects his importance to the team and the club are going ahead with negotiations.
The 26-year-old joined the Irons from Slavia Prague in January 2020 and has helped the club to survival, followed by a fifth-place finish during his time in England so far.
He has moulded into the perfect midfield partner for England star Declan Rice with the two being a formidable duo to get past for even the best the Premier League has to offer.
His current deal still has plenty of time left to run but the Hammers want to tie him down for longer and are making moves to do so.
Vital cog in the machine
Soucek might not have popped up with as many goals as he did last season but his all-around game has improved vastly in 2021-22.
He has become slightly more reserved in his excitement to bomb forward from deep which has allowed the more technically-gifted Rice to take more risks when he is on the ball.
The unselfishness has ensured that last season’s amazing fifth-placed finish has been no fluke and the Irons are fighting for Europe again this campaign, as they should aim to do every year from now on.
There has been talks of Rice leaving the club in the summer so to have Soucek confirmed on a long term deal is high on David Moyes’ agenda to ensure he doesn’t need to completely rebuild his side.
West Ham can sometimes forget the vital role Soucek plays as Rice, Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio grab the headlines but they wouldn’t be as effective if the big Czech wasn’t anchoring the team.
In other West Ham news, an asking price has been set for this Hazard-esque EFL star.