Tomas Soucek: West Ham told to agree deal before it’s too late as talks underway – ex-manager
Alex McLeish has insisted West Ham “must” tie Tomas Soucek down to a new contract with talks planned at the London Stadium.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Scotland manager claimed the 26-year-old has become an “integral part of the West Ham way”.
As revealed by Football Insider last Friday (11 February), West Ham are opening talks over a new and improved contract for Soucek.
A club source told this site the Irons want to tie the midfielder down in an attempt to ward off interest from Premier League and European rivals.
Soucek’s current terms run until the summer of 2024.
However, McLeish insisted the Hammers must do what they can to extend his stay.
McLeish told Football Insider’s Russell Edge: “He’s a cog in the wheel. An integral part of the West Ham way, the way they’re playing and the winning way they have.
“Maybe he’s not scored as many this season, he was really a breath of fresh air last season. We spoke about West Ham poaching players from that part of Europe.
“The Czech Republic was somewhere we discussed was emerging just before they beat Scotland.
“Teams will now be saying: ‘We’ve got to shackle this Soucek. We cannot let him get too many opportunities in the box.’
“But he’s such a big fella and a big presence that sometimes nobody’s going to touch him in the air. He gets into the box as well, under the radar. He’s had a fantastic couple of seasons for the Hammers.
“He’s a must to keep at the club.”
Soucek has scored three goals in 31 appearances for the Hammers this season.
He has played 86 times since joining on an initial loan deal in January 2020.
In other news, West Ham need to “pull out all the stops” for another contract deal.