Moyes admits Rice sale may have inadvertently helped struggling West Ham star

02 December 2023 , 07:50

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Tomas Soucek has been in rich goalscoring form for West Ham (Image: Getty Images)

David Moyes believes Tomas Soucek’s rich run of goalscoring form is down to the West Ham midfielder rediscovering his confidence.

The Czech has scored in five consecutive games for club and country, including winners in the 88th minute or later in the Hammers’ past three. And after struggling for much of last season, Moyes thinks Soucek’s rebound is a case of trusting himself.

“He’s playing with a bit more confidence and has a bit more self-belief in what he’s doing and how he’s performing generally,” Moyes said. “He’s scoring for his country as well, it’s not just for us. That happens with goalscorers, or people who want to score goals.”

But another factor may be how the departure of Declan Rice to Arsenal has altered the balance of the Hammers’ midfield. The summer arrival of Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse has allowed Soucek more freedom to get forward.

And Moyes added: “He did not reach his level last season. We tried to get Declan to get a little bit farther forward at times and make the box and show his goalscoring capabilities.

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“It might have had a slight effect on Tomas. We didn’t do quite as well on set pieces last season and Tomas plays a big part. He is valuable in different ways. The biggest compliment I can pay him is that he is low maintenance, a big team player and every week he tries to do his best.”

Indeed the work ethic of Soucek, and compatriot Vladimir Coufal, has become so valued at West Ham that Moyes jokes they have to lock the training ground entrance to keep them out.

“Everybody appreciates a hard-working footballer who maximises his capabilities,” he said. “Tomas has some deficiencies but he makes sure he gets the best out of the other parts of his game.

“We have to nail a lot of the gates to keep the Czech boys from getting in sometimes and calm them down to stop them from wanting to train and run. They have great attitudes. Ever since they came in, I include Vladimir in that, they’ve been really good for the club.”

West Ham host Crystal Palace on Sunday having not returned from their Europa League visit to northern Serbia until lunchtime on Friday. Moyes will check on a number of players, with a couple laid low by a flu-like virus, although top scorer Jarrod Bowen could return after injuring a knee while on England duty last month.

Alan Smith