Tomas Soucek surely heads for London Stadium exit as West Ham United enter Denis Zakaria talks
West Ham United have entered negotiations with Juventus to sign former Chelsea loanee Denis Zakaria which could surely spell the end of Tomas Soucek’s time in East London.
The Irons have been heavily linked in the market for several central midfielders amid the race between Arsenal and Manchester City to sign club-captain £100m-plus Declan Rice.
Conor Gallagher, Edson Alvarez and Joao Palhinha are all reportedly on the Moyes’ list to kick off their post-Rice revolution at the London Stadium, but West Ham are already actively working on another name in Zakaria.
And according to Di Marzio [26 June], the Swiss international has left Chelsea to return to his parent club Juventus but is now currently in talks with West Ham over a potential move.
Posting on Twitter Monday night (26 June) the Sky Italia journalist reported on his website that the Hammers have “entered into negotiations” for the Swiss international after Chelsea chose not to take up his permanent option this summer.
“There have already been two calls between Hammers and Juventus and the player could return to the Premier League on a permanent basis.”
Italian outlet Gazzetta Dello Sport reported on 24 June, [Page 18] that contact has been made with the Old Lady to secure the services of the Swiss midfielder, with the Serie A giants demanding a fee of around £17.2m.
With the Hammers linked with so many names in midfield, it seems as if Rice isn’t the only central midfield exit at the London Stadium with Soucek reportedly also one of the names to depart too.
The Times report [22 June] that West Ham United are willing to listen to offers for the Czech international, with his contract expiring next year and no talks planned over an extension.
Given his current situation right now, it’s not surprising to see West Ham being proactive in the market and the Zakaria deal makes perfect sense especially if the Hammers seek to recruit more than one midfielder.
The Swiss international certainly can’t fill the Rice hole by himself, but he arguably represents an upgrade on Soucek who suffered a dramatic decline in his form and performance levels throughout the last season and is something the Irons simply have to address with his contract up in 2024.
Zakaria, 26, is of a perfect age for West Ham United to exploit right now, plus his European and Premier League experience certainly represents such sensible and smart recruitment by the Hammers.
The Juventus man may have struggled throughout his loan spell at Stamford Bridge last season but that was through no fault of his own, but his lack of opportunities and the mess Chelsea were steeped in since Thomas Tuche’s early-season sacking.
When Zakaria did start, he certainly showed flashes of his brilliance in his passing, ball progression, ability to drive his team up the pitch and his dynamism off the ball also – something Soucek considerably struggled with last season.
There is plenty of movement still to come in the midfield transfer market this summer but the Irons appear to be making a promising start and a smart move to replace both Soucek and Rice. Though, it shouldn’t end with Zakaria but start with him.