David Moyes raves about ‘very accomplished’ West Ham duo Soucek & Bowen
David Moyes has outlined West Ham’s player profile ahead of the January transfer window, pointing to the impact of Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen in an interview with Sky Sports.
The West Ham boss hailed the effectiveness of Soucek and Bowen, two players who have continued to impress this season, after both joined the club to great effect in the middle of last season.
Both players have appeared in all 14 Premier League matches for the Hammers this season, as the club sit 10th in the table.
Bowen was signed from Hull City, who were in the Championship at the time of his move, before they slid down to League One following Bowen’s transfer.
Soucek, meanwhile, was brought in from Slavia Prague in the Czech First League.
Moyes praised the duo and outlined why they have made such a big impact, telling Sky Sports, “Not only did they help keep us up they have gone on to become very accomplished Premier League players.
“I always think the first place to look should be the Championship because so many of them adjust so well. But when the market becomes expensive and you do not have a lot of funds, you have to go further afield to find the players who can make a difference too.
“It is about having hungry players with a humility to understand it is not just about them, it is about everybody, so you have to do the work.
“We are not really interested in big egos. Maybe in the future. Maybe if and when we are right at the top, we will need players with an ego, big characters. But at the moment we have a building process going on at this football club and we are not there yet.”
Championship and Czech key men
Bowen and Soucek have shone for the Hammers this season, underline by some impressive statistics.
WhoScored ratings rank Soucek as West Ham’s highest-rated Premier League player, with a score of 7.17.
The Czech Republic international has scored three league goals this season, and per WhoScored, wins 5.6 aerial duels per game, second only to Sheffield United’s Oliver McBurnie.
Soucek has made his presence known at both ends of the pitch, enough to oust captain Mark Noble from a regular starting spot, alongside Declan Rice.
Bowen, meanwhile, is West Ham’s top Premier League scorer this season, with four goals. He has also chipped in with two assists.
There have been contrasting fortunes for Vladimir Coufal and Said Benrahma, two players signed by West Ham to continue the transfer policy initiated by the success of Soucek and Bowen.
Coufal has been an ever-present for the Hammers since making an identical move to international teammate Soucek from Slavia Prague, averaging three tackles per game (eighth-highest total in the division).
Benrahma has featured less since making the move from Championship side Brentford, and is yet to score for his new side, but he can take inspiration from Bowen, who only managed one goal in his first half-season after making the same step-up, before taking on a crucial role this season.
In other West Ham news, Hammers wait for injury news on key defender.