Everyone at West Ham loves Tomas Soucek but the towering Czech may have just let the cat out of the bag over some big issues.
Nobody has epitomised West Ham’s rise over the last few years more than Tomas Soucek.
They often say you take things out on the people you love most.
That seems to have been the case at times with Soucek, who has often been a scapegoat for some West Ham supporters in difficult times.
The Hammers are certainly going through a difficult time right now.
Julen Lopetegui’s tenure could be short-lived if rumours swirling around east London are accurate.
West Ham are gearing up to welcome Everton to the London Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday.
They go into the game off the back of a dismal 3-0 defeat at Forest.
Soucek has barely missed a game for West Ham since signing from Slavia Prague in January 2020.
But he sat out the Forest defeat due to illness and was sorely missed.
The good news is that Soucek is back for West Ham against Everton.
He has been training at Rush Green and is ready to come back into the starting XI.
Morale in the squad is understandably low.
Soucek lets cat out of the bag about two big West Ham issues
The team’s most senior player spoke out candidly in the wake of the Forest loss.
Lukasz Fabiaski confirmed what many fans feared was the case – that West Ham have a lack of characters and leaders in the side.
Kevin Nolan recently questioned Lopetegui’s decision to make Jarrod Bowen captain.
And the former West Ham assistant boss is not alone in that line of thinking.
Journalists, pundits, ex West Ham players and some supporters feel Bowen is perhaps too quiet to lead the team and that the added responsibility could affect his performances.
Kurt Zouma’s leadership was also questioned last season as Declan Rice and Mark Noble left a big armband to fill.
Now Soucek appears to have let the cat out of the bag about two concerning West Ham issues.
Soucek clearly meant well as he issued a rallying cry ahead of the Everton game.
But he has inadvertently reaffirmed Fabianski’s comments about a lack of leadership at West Ham under Lopetegui.
Not only that, the former Hammer of the Year may have let slip that captain Bowen is – as feared – a big doubt for the crunch clash which could decide the manager’s future.
Super Tom said he feels he now needs to step up and be the major leader for West Ham because Bowen needs help.
He even states he feels he needs to help Bowen ‘be heard on the pitch’.
In doing so he may have also spilled the beans on the fact Bowen, who Hammers News revealed is one of two big West Ham doubts for Everton, might not make the game.
“This club has become like my home club,” ever reliable Soucek told West Ham’s media team.
Soucek highlights lack of leadership at West Ham, vows to help
“I want to be even like the leader, to lead the team to get better performances.
“This means a lot, so that’s the reason why I try to fight on the pitch all the time…
“When I came I was just one of the players, but at the time I wanted to lead. Now I have the feeling I’ve been here long enough, and the players know me and know how I want to lead in a positive way.
“I want to help everyone here to give their best performance to the team so we have one connection. Especially, obviously, Jarrod is captain, but I don’t care who has the armband. I want to help him, to help others, to be heard on the pitch, on and off the pitch, and to make West Ham move forward.”
How can anyone not love Soucek reading those comments.
He’s not intentionally undermining Bowen by any stretch.
But his comments lay bare Lopetegui’s biggest problem – a lack of true leadership in the side.
It’s not the first time those concerns have been raised either.
Former Hammers skipper Nigel Reo-Coker warned of the leadership issue after paying a visit to West Ham’s training under Lopetegui over the summer.
He said that what he witnessed seriously worried him as saw a distinct lack of characters in the team and highlighted it as a major concern.
It sounds like Fabianski and Soucek have identified that too.
The great thing is both are honest enough to front up about it and tell it like it is.
But with Soucek talking about being ‘the leader’ against Everton, perhaps bad news over Bowen is in the offing for Lopetegui.
We will all just have to keep our fingers and Hammers crossed he’ll make it in time.
If not, don’t be surprised to see Super Tom became Captain Tom on Saturday.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
