Credit: Imago

Oliver Walton

Tue 26 May 2026 21:00, UK

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West Ham United must be concerned that key man Tomas Soucek could leave this summer after Slavia Prague’s manager insisted that he wants him to return to his boyhood club.

The Hammers are facing a mass exodus of their top stars after being relegated to the Championship in 18th place.

Soucek, 31, is West Ham’s current longest-serving player after joining in early 2020, and he has remained a regular starter under Nuno Espirito Santo.

The Czech midfielder has hinted at staying at the London Stadium as they drop to the second-tier, but could well be tempted to leave for an emotional return to his former club.

West Ham’s transfer plans are unlikely to include Soucek as it stands, but he may push to make a move away after some new comments from Slavia’s boss.

Slavia Prague manager wants Tomas Soucek transfer after West Ham’s relegation

Soucek joined Slavia’s youth set up at 10-years-old and progressed through their ranks to make 158 first-team appearances between 2015 and 2020.

He helped the club to two Czech top-flight titles and Czech Cup wins during his time as a senior player, and has remained close to the club over the last six years through social media interactions.

They won another title in 2025-26 to qualify for the league stage of the Champions League, with current boss Jindrich Trpisovsky recently admitting that he would like the club to sign Soucek this summer.

Speaking to iDNES about the 31-year-old, he said: “I think it’s all about Tomas. If there were an opportunity, we would like to use it, but there are many options.

“He still has a year left on his contract in England. I personally think he will come back one day, but we’ll see if it’s this summer. The decision would be mainly up to him.”

The Slavia boss has clearly left the ball in Soucek’s court over a possible move this summer, and given that he has just one year left on his Hammers’ deal, a transfer certainly feels realistic.

If any club was to tempt him away from West Ham, it would surely be Slavia, and Soucek could well feel like now is the right time to leave following relegation from the Premier League.

Who else has Soucek been linked to ahead of the summer window?

Soucek’s future has been up in the air for several months, with talk around his next move rife since last summer after some struggles under Graham Potter.

He has managed to fight his way back into the fold under Nuno, but his own future is uncertain as it stands, so Soucek is certainly not set to be a guaranteed starter in the second tier next season.

Sources have exclusively revealed to Football Insider that David Moyes wants Soucek to join Everton this summer after they previously worked well together at the London Stadium.

The Czech star is clearly facing some big decisions this summer, and even though he has hinted at staying, a move away could be on the cards if he pushes to leave.