Needing a new defensive midfielder during the January transfer window, West Ham went out and got themselves just that in Tomáš Souček.
The 24-year-old arrived from Slavia Prague on loan, with the Hammers announcing they had ‘an option to make the transfer permanent in the summer’.
The Premier League club paid an up front fee of around £4m for the player, with reports suggesting Souček would then be bought if David Moyes’ side avoided relegation to the Championship.
Well, that has now been officially confirmed by the club’s ‘team leader’, former forward Stanislav Vlček, whose role is to be the link between the sporting director, the manager and the players, dealing with tasks like sorting out transport and hotels.
Speaking to Ruik in the Czech Republic, the 43-year-old was asked if he felt Souček would be a success and what future he could predict for the defensive midfielder.
He replied: “The first task is staying up. West Ham have a very tough schedule. I think they have games against Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City. We hope that West Ham will stay up because of Tomáš. If they do, Tomáš’ loan would automatically turn into a transfer.
“In the event West Ham go down, Tomáš would return to Slavia and his future would then be discussed. As far as I know from the boys, Tomáš is excited about the new gig in terms of the fans and the facilities. I hope he stays up and builds a strong position at West Ham like he did at Slavia”.
Vlček explained the Czech side would ‘miss him terribly’, and described him as an ‘honest and hardworking boy who deserves his chance’.
He’s now got his dream move to the Premier League, and it’s up to him to see if he can help get West Ham away from the Championship drop.
After all, he’s got a pretty good incentive to do so.
