Thomas Soucek has been an instrumental figure in West Ham United’s success over the past few years, consistently delivering strong performances in midfield. Since joining in 2020, the Czech international has become known for his relentless work rate, aerial ability, and knack for scoring crucial goals. Soucek’s influence on both ends of the pitch has solidified his reputation as one of the club’s standout players in recent seasons.
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00:00Thomas Suchek has silenced the critics with his standout performances for West Ham this
00:08season, proving many wrong after some initially predicted he could struggle following David
00:14Moyes' departure. Despite early doubts about his future at the club, Suchek has consistently
00:20been a key figure in midfield, demonstrating his importance both offensively and going
00:25forward. His work rate and leadership have been critical for the team, showing that his
00:30adaptability has allowed him to thrive, even as the club has undergone changes. I spoke
00:36to football writer James Jones to get a closer look at Suchek's remarkable form and his role
00:42in West Ham's midfield.
00:48James let's just look at a specific player in Thomas Suchek and let's just start by looking
00:55at his West Ham career, his sort of legacy he's left. I mean, an incredible player, incredible
01:00figure in that European Trophy win. Where do West Ham fans view him, put him on a pedestal
01:08in terms of their modern day players, their modern day real soldiers who went to battle
01:13so many times, so often, under David Moyes specifically? And then, you know, what sort
01:18of impact he's left at the club in his last few years?
01:23Well, I mean, he's one of those players that arrived at the club, no one had really heard
01:26of who he was. And I can't say enough about the player, about the man. He's been a revelation
01:34for West Ham since he joined the club back in 2020. And, you know, under Moyes, his importance
01:43to the team was well documented, you know, his aerial threat, arriving late in the box,
01:48scoring goals from midfield, as a defensive midfielder, almost unheard of some of the
01:53figures he was putting up under David Moyes. But then there was a feeling that when Moyes
02:00leaves, Lopetegui comes in, is he going to be one of the first players to be sacrificed?
02:04Because he wasn't known as being a player that could fit, could play in a team that
02:08wants to, you know, wants to dominate the ball, wants to play a little bit more with
02:11the ball, have more possession, be a little bit more technical in its approach. And there
02:16was a general expectation that he'd be one of the first players to be sacrificed when
02:20Lopetegui arrived. He stayed, but there were signs that Lopetegui would have rathered in
02:27not being in midfield. There was a few games where he was dropped and, you know, had to
02:30come off the bench. But he was in those games where West Ham just looked incredibly disjointed
02:35in midfield. And the moment he's introduced off the bench, suddenly things look a little
02:39bit more calmer in midfield, we're looking a bit more organised. And he ended up getting
02:43back in the starting XI, and Graeme Potter's arrived. Again, everyone thought, is he going
02:47to like Thomas Suchek? Does he fit the system? And, you know, if anything, he's playing his
02:52best football this season under Graeme Potter. So he's been fantastic. And like I said, some
02:56of the numbers he's put up, you know, he averages, he scored 38 goals in 235 games for West Ham.
03:02As a defensive midfielder, that's an incredible, you know, number to put up. You know, he averages
03:07goal contributions every 4.7 games. Again, for a defensive midfielder, there aren't many
03:13defensive midfielders in Europe that will put up those numbers. And, you know, he's
03:18played a game with a bandage on his head because he's put his head somewhere where he probably
03:21shouldn't. And, you know, he took one for the team and he's ended up now having to be
03:25stitched up. And, you know, West Ham fans just, you know, they respect that and they
03:30love a player like that. You know, a lot of the time fans look less, they don't look so
03:37much to the talent of a player and more just the heart and the passion that they give to
03:41the club. And he's, since the moment he arrived, he's really just bought into the overall values
03:46of West Ham United and the fans. And couple that with his performances on the pitch and
03:52the goals that he scores every season and the impact that he has on the team. And you've
03:57got, you know, a modern day West Ham United legend. And I'm sure that when he does leave,
04:02whenever that may be, he will be viewed by many, many fans as a West Ham legend. You
04:06know, he's part of the Conference League winning team, won it in his home country as
04:10well, in Prague, in the Czech Republic. So, yeah, he's a top player and massively underrated
04:18and misunderstood, I think, by not just some West Ham fans, but the rest of the Premier
04:23League as well. I think a lot of people just view him as just another David Moyes, Fellaini
04:282.0, when actually he does a hell of a lot more than that. And I think we're seeing that
04:33now, given that even after Moyes has left, he's been so important to two managers at
04:38West Ham after David Moyes. And yeah, long may that continue for Thomas Succex. We love him.