If Graham Potter needed a reminder as to the importance of Tomas Soucek, amid reported interest from David Moyes’ Everton, then the West Ham United fan favourite certainly provided it in midweek.
Pushed forward into his favoured attacking midfield position for the first time this season, the giant Czech did what he does best. He powered a superb back-post header into the Wolverhampton Wanderers net.
Thus, drawing West Ham United level out of nowhere, albeit in a game they would go on to chuck away in the dying embers at Molineux.
Yet, three weeks after Hammers News revealed that West Ham would consider selling Soucek for the right price, there is no guarantee that a man only outscored by Jarrod Bowen last term will still be wearing claret and blue come September 2nd.
Everton reportedly saw a bid rejected a few days ago.
And while Graham Potter is in no doubt about the qualities Tomas Soucek offers, particularly when starting in his most effective box-crashing role, the under-fire coach stopped short of ruling out a sale in the final hours of the window.
Graham Potter reacts when asked about West Ham United’s Tomas Soucek plan
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s trip to Nottingham Forest, Potter did little to calm the speculation, even if he did provide a glowing testament to Soucek’s excellent five-year spell in East London.
“If you look at his goals record when he’s on the pitch, as a starter…,” Potter begins, Soucek only two away from becoming the Premier League’s highest all-time Czech goalscorer. “And then as a person, once you work with Tomas [you discover] he is a fantastic individual.
“He sacrifices himself for the team, plays in loads of different roles. He’s contributed a lot to the success West Ham have had over the years.
“Great person. He’s got the ability to defend and attack both boxes and to score, obviously [that] is an important part of the game.”
Uncertainty surrounding the former Slavia Prague captain has been rumbling on behind the scenes for months now.
Times reporter Gary Jacob claimed all the way back in May that Graham Potter had reservations about Soucek’s ability to provide the energy levels the manager looks for in a midfielder. He will turn 31 in February, after all.
Potter also tends to prefer more technical, less physical operators in the centre of the park. Furthermore, while he did open his account for the new season at Wolves, Soucek feels like a bit of an awkward fit either in Potter’s midfield two or in one of the number ten roles behind the lone centre-forward.
Graham Potter praises Mateus Fernandes as Soungoutou Magassa closes in
Soucek may be at risk of slipping down the pecking order too with Mateus Fernandes set to be joined by Soungoutou Magassa.
Potter tips Fernandes to bring a ‘different dimension’ following his £40 million arrival from Southampton, while Magassa could fulfil a role akin to Moises Caicedo’s in the manager’s old Brighton and Hove Albion side.
“He brings a quality, a character, a desire, a personality,” Potter says of Fernandes. “We have those things here as well but he’s someone we have known and watched for a long time.
“Delighted to have him here. I think the fans will really like him. He is at an exciting stage of his career and we are looking forward to him taking the next step with us.
“We will always look until the end of the window [for further reinforcements]. I think it is going to be one of those windows where there is a lot of activity late. We need to make sure that we are aware and aligned to make the right calls.
“You have always got to look to improve when the window is open and we will certainly do that, and, at the same time, improve the players we have.”
