West Ham star Tomas Soucek has voiced serious concerns about what he’s seeing at the club and it will strike a chord with fans.
West Ham are in the middle of yet another rebuild this summer transfer window and time is running out.
Midfielders Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse have arrived at West Ham in the last week.
But the deal for Harry Maguire has collapsed and Lucas Paqueta is now being linked with a move away.
With Gianluca Scamacca gone and both Michail Antonio and Aaron Cresswell linked with departures – the Hammers are still short in defence, midfield and up front.
While there were some positives from the 1-1 draw at Bournemouth, West Ham’s all too familiar inability to keep possession was to blame for surrendering the lead.
West Ham star Tomas Soucek voices serious concerns over what he is seeing at the club and it will strike a chord with fans
West Ham had the second worst possession stats in the Premier League last season.
In a division now full of Pep Guardiola disciples playing a possession-based attacking style, it is a major issue.
And one which has seen some West Ham fans continue to call for David Moyes to be replaced with a more modern, attack-minded coach.
Now West Ham star Tomas Soucek has voiced serious concerns over what he is seeing at the club and it will strike a chord with fans.
Following the draw with the Cherries, Soucek has told The Evening Standard he is alarmed by the team’s inability to keep the ball for any length of time.
The big Czech is also concerned by how deep the team sits during matches, saying it invites too much pressure.
If possession is nine tenths of the law then West Ham could find themselves in prison
“It worried me a lot that Bournemouth had a lot more possession than we had,” Soucek said.
“They crossed into our box every two minutes, so that was bad.
“It was our mistake, and we have to learn: even if we’ve scored, we need to play forward, play high, and keep the ball.”
Soucek’s concerns are backed up by the stats. West Ham once again surrendered the lion’s share of possession (63% vs 37%). And the Hammers completed 213 less passes than the Cherries (517 vs 304).
The midfielder is one of Moyes’ most trusted lieutenants. So if even he is questioning the style and tactics, then the manager must act.
It seems Moyes and the West Ham board are trying to do something about it if the club’s reported transfer targets are anything to go by.
The likes of Mohammed Kudus, Jeremy Doku and Elye Wahi have been linked with moves to West Ham this week.
They are the kind of profile of player who would make a massive difference to the Hammers in terms of possession and style.
Let’s hope they – or players of that ilk – can be brought in before the deadline or it could be a long, turgid season for West Ham.