West Ham United could receive Tomas Soucek boost as ace part of Czech struggles v Albania
It isn’t very often that football fans hope that one of their players has a poor game, but for West Ham United supporters, Tomas Soucek and the Czech Republic’s defeat to Albania could be a blessing in disguise.
Soucek and the rest of the Czech side were defeated in a shock 3-0 win for Albania in Euro 2024 qualifying on Thursday (12 October), with the home side profiting after Mojmir Chytil was shown a red card after only 40 minutes of action.
West Ham midfielder Soucek played the whole 90 minutes and was one of the Czech Republic’s better players and was integral to their work on the ball, registering 89 touches, completing 87 per cent of his 76 attempted passes, with 15 of his efforts being into the final third [Fotmob].
In defence the 28-year-old won only 50 per cent of his duels both on the ground and in the air, making six ball recoveries and winning his only tackle, but his lack of end product as he created a single chance for his teammates was indicative of his side’s struggles in attack.
While the result would have been disappointing for Soucek it may have helped the Hammers’ hopes of keeping their midfielder, as Inter Milan director Paulo Ausilio was reportedly in attendance at Thursday’s game to watch the West Ham man [FC Inter News, 12 October].
The Italian giants are reported to be interested in signing the midfielder on a free transfer come the end of the season, when his current deal at the London Stadium ends [Corriere Dello Sport, 11 October].
Ausilio is unlikely to be immediately searching for his pen to draw up a contract for Soucek following both his and his teammates showing against Albania on Thursday and his stuttering display for his national side could just allow the Irons to ensure they can keep him in their ranks beyond this season.
David Moyes’ side does hold the option to immediately extend the Czech midfielder’s current deal by 12 months and given his impressive form at the start of the season which has seen him score three times in all competitions and start seven of the opening eight league games, you would imagine they would be keen to activate that option.
Given the increasing speculation surrounding potential interest from clubs abroad, West Ham should move quickly to ensure that they secure Soucek’s immediate future before he has his head turned by the reported interest from Inter.
In other West Ham news, doubts have emerged over whether Kurt Zouma could complete a medical if he were to leave the Hammers for Saudi Arabia