Tomas Soucek: Pundit digs at three West Ham stars who are not pulling their weight
Paul Robinson has called on West Ham midfielders Tomas Soucek, Pablo Fornals and Said Benrahma to alleviate the goalscoring burden on Michail Antonio.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Spurs and England goalkeeper said David Moyes’s side “cannot rely” on Antonio, 31, to provide regular goals between now and the end of the season.
Antonio failed to score on Saturday as West Ham’s top-four hopes were dented by a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United.
The Jamaica international has now failed to score in his last six Premier League outings.
Soucek has previously been a regular source of goals for David Moyes’s side – he netted 10 times in 39 league games last season.
However, this term he has bagged on just three occasions.
When asked by Football Insider‘s Dylan Childs if getting Soucek into more advanced positions could solve West Ham’s problems, Robinson said:
“Listen, they cannot rely on Antonio every week. There is times where he will be unavailable or out of form for a few weeks. They need goals from elsewhere.
“Soucek was providing goals from midfield when he first game, probably more than you would expect from a deep-lying midfielder. A lot of goals came from set plays but they have dried up.
“Jarrod Bowen has chipped in but the likes of Benrahma, Fornals and Soucek need to step up. They have to take responsibility.”
Benrahma has scored five goals in 23 Premier League appearances this season.
Fornals has netted the same amount in 24 league games.
In other news, a pundit has claimed West Ham have been given ‘encouragement’ over ‘£50million+’ deal after manager’s reveal.