Former Republic of Ireland international Ray Houghton is convinced that West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek should be among the contenders for the Premier League Player of the Year award.
The 26-year-old has been a mainstay in David Moyes side – only missing the final seconds against Fulham having been wrongly dismissed.
Having played a leading role in the transformation in fortunes at The London Stadium, Soucek has netted nine goals and registered one assist in 36 league outings.
Such an impressive full debut season has caught the eye of many, including Houghton, who told talkSPORT that the 33-cap Czech ace’s form should have put him among the conversation at least.
Declan Rice has been out, Soucek has filled that position and he’s been brilliant. He’s not someone you look at and go ‘wow, you’ve done a wonderful skill’, but his worth to West Ham is incredible. He won’t get mentioned for Player of the Year, but he’s worthy of that in my opinion.
Soucek sits behind only Ilkay Gundogan in terms of goalscoring central midfielder’s in the Premier League this season – a sign of the Czech ace’s superb campaign.
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There is no doubt the £15million midfield general has been nothing short of a revelation for the Irons.
Although the Hammers could ultimately miss out on elite European football for next season, Soucek’s influence on the improvement deserves some form of recognition from the wider audience.
From a solely West Ham perspective, there is every chance the 6’4 bulwark could add to his Czech Player of the Year award with a Hammer of the Year accolade.
