West Ham now have fresh contract priority after Tomas Soucek extension
Tomas Soucek isn't leaving West Ham United any time soon.
The 31-year-old was due to become a free agent at the end of this season.
He'd last penned an extension with the Hammers in January 2024, which took him through until next summer.
Soucek recently returned from injury against QPR after spending five months on the sidelines with an ankle ligament problem.
It wasn't his finest 45 minutes in a Hammers shirt, but for many fans, the sight of seeing the veteran Czech international back on the pitch was a welcome one.
Despite his age, London Stadium decision-makers evidently feel he's still a big part of the club's immediate future too.
What has Tomas Soucek said after signing new West Ham contract?
Joining West Ham on an initial loan deal from Slavia Prague in January 2020, this season is Soucek's seventh full one as an Irons player.
By the time his new Hammers contract expires, he will have played his eighth.
That's because West Ham confirmed on Tuesday that Soucek has inked a new two-year extension in E20.
Speaking via West Ham's official website, he said: "It feels great because now I’ve been in this Club for so long and I will be here for another year,"
"It was great from the start, but it’s also great now, for my family and for all the West Ham supporters who I am very close to. I’m enjoying life in Claret and Blue.
"West Ham United means a lot to me. I’ve been here half my football life, seven years, and it will be more. I can say with my heart it’s my home and it’s where I feel so proud of what we’ve done and I believe that we will do even more.
"After signing a new contract, I have a new ambition for myself and for the club.
"The first is that we want to go straight back to the Premier League, then I want to play and be successful in the Premier League next season."
So, with this big contract conundrum now off the their minds, which one should now come to the forefront for West Ham chiefs?
West Ham defender must be the new contract priority
Now that Soucek is tied down until 2028, West Ham look to have fairly straightforward contract calls on the players whose deals expire next summer.
Alphonse Areola and Maxwel Cornet are both sure to leave, with their likely to be zero mutual interest from the club or the players on signing new deals.
That just leaves Joel Veltman as the only other player out of contract at the end of the season, and he's so far done enough to warrant at least another one-year deal.
Looking ahead to the summer of 2028 then, there's one name that stands out as the player who West Ham must sort a new contract out for ASAP.
Konstantinos Mavropanos signed a five-year deal at the London Stadium upon joining from Stuttgart in the summer of 2023.
The Greek international hasn't penned another extension since, but has been nothing but an uber-consistent and quality centre-back for the Irons.
With four goals and one assist from 10 games this term, he's playing the best football of his Irons career in 2026-27 so far.
Nuno Espirito Santo's centre-back ranks are fairly thin behind Mavropanos, and he should continue being a cornerstone piece of this football club.
Even if the plan is to sell him soon, he could agree to a new short-team deal to help protect his transfer value and enable West Ham to bank big on him.