Soucek: They Said West Ham Didn’t Want Me Anymore
Not for the first time, Tomas Soucek has popped up with an important goal to help West Ham, and on this occasion, his boss, Julen Lopetegui.
The big Czech might not be everyone’s cup of tea, and he certainly isn’t a silky footballer in the mould of Lucas Paquetá, but he has the sort of qualities that managers love
If I’m being honest, I thought Soucek would be surplus to requirements once David Moyes left the club. Like many, I believed he would not have the passing game to thrive in a possession-based team. However, Julen Lopetegui is something of a pragmatist and rightly focused on what Soucek can do rather than what he can’t.
While he may not possess Paquetá’s skills, Lopetegui knows that he can trust Big Sou to deliver when it counts. Understandably, Soucek was in high demand for interviews following his equaliser against Brentford, and his words will be music to the ears of West Ham fans.
“I’m happy the manager trusts me; the fans sing my name, and I’m happy about that. The Czech media wrote that West Ham fans don’t need me and don’t like me anymore, so I appreciate the connections and what it means for me and what it means for them.
I have been here for almost five years now, so hopefully, I can have a few more.”
Soucek is an impressive individual. His will to win, work rate, and ability to find space in the box mean he will always be an option when a manager is under pressure and in need of a goal.
Therefore, I guess none of us should be shocked that while the likes of Kudus, Paquetá, and Emerson got their marching orders, Big old Tomas Soucek was left on the pitch by his manager because when the big moments arrive, he knows precisely what he’ll get.
