Tomas Soucek will no doubt go down as one of the most important West Ham signings in Premier League history once he eventually leaves.
The Czechia international has been monumental in the Hammers midfield ever since his arrival in January 2020. Since then, his 33 goals and 11 assists in 211 first team appearances have helped the club avoid relegation and then go on a club-record three-year journey across Europe, culminating in West Ham’s first major silverware since 1980.
The 29-year-old is by no means the most glamorous of players, but his commitment, tenacity and ability to arrive late in the box has underlined what has been a hugely successful four-and-a-half Hammers career so far.
However, the midfielder has come under a lot of criticism from some corners of the fanbase of late, who accuse Soucek of not being mobile enough in midfield, while his passing abilities have also come into question.
Some of that criticism has been justified at times, particularly where his passing is concerned, and many of his critics will no doubt view Soucek as a symbol of the style of football often criticised under David Moyes.
But new boss Julen Lopetegui is clearly also a fan, with the Czech starting three of West Ham’s four games so far this season.
While criticism may be fair in some areas, what is often overlooked with Soucek is his passion and leadership qualities, as well as his commitment towards giving his absolute best at all times.
Those traits were on display this international break, after a report from Sportweb claimed that the Czechia skipper told boss Ivan Hasek to wait outside the dressing room while Soucek slammed his international teammates for their performance in a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Georgia.
Soucek later said of the incident (via GiveMeSport): “A big but short speech took place. We still have a lot to say, because we cannot play for the Czech national team like this.
“Mistakes can be made, but the second thing is responsibility and doing your best, which is an obligation.”
Soucek’s words show just how passionate he is and underlines his hidden skills as an effective leader of men, which will have obviously gone under the radar at West Ham since he’s not the captain.
While Jarrod Bowen is West Ham’s new club captain, you can have no doubt that Soucek will also have influence and leadership responsibilities within the Hammers dressing room, especially considering the clear demands and values he says he expects his teammates to live by,
It’s these sort of traits that fans will overlook. While Soucek will never be the most talented player to have worn the famous claret and blue, the aforementioned traits, his habit of scoring very important goals and his clear love and passion for the club means a lot of the criticism aimed in his direction of late has been unfair.
The man deserves more respect.
