West Ham manager David Moyes has rarely shied away from making big calls during a successful second spell at the helm in East London.
Ast the Hammers gear up for an all-important Premier League clash with Wolves at the London Stadium, the Scot may have one big decision to make.
Despite being nigh on untouchable since becoming an Iron on a permanent basis in July 2020, powerful midfielder Tomas Soucek has been out of sorts in recent weeks.
Part of the sudden loss of influence could be down to workload, something which was cited by The Athletic this week.
Tomas Soucek needs a one-week break in Barbados. He has played the most minutes in the league by an outfield player since September 2020.
He has also played 90 minutes in 71 of his 75 league appearances. His loss of form could be due to fatigue. #WHUFC https://t.co/wupzQMXEn3
— Roshane Thomas (@RoshaneSport) February 26, 2022
Overall this term the 46-cap Czech Republic has earned a 6.96 average Sofascore rating from 24 Premier League outings – albeit more recent displays have dented the score.
Last season Soucek scored 10 times and registered one assist in 41 appearances. Meanwhile in 2021/22 so far, the ex-Slavia Prague man has just four direct goal contributions.
As the meeting between two sides with fading top-four hopes looms, Moyes may have to wield the axe…
READ WEST HAM VERDICT
Whilst things haven’t exactly gone to plan during Alex Kral’s loan spell thus far, this must present an opportunity for the 23-year-old to shine as the £40.5million valued Soucek takes a deserved rest.
Currently unlikely to trigger the £12million option to buy clause, Kral must impress between now and the end of the season, perhaps starting with a strong performance in a must-win contest here.
Predicted XI: Lukasz Fabianski; Ben Johnson, Craig Dawson, Kurt Zouma, Aaron Cresswell; Alex Kral, Declan Rice, Jarrod Bowen, Manuel Lanzini, Pablo Fornals; Michail Antonio.
Subs: Alphonse Areola, Tomas Soucek, Mark Noble, Nikola Vlasic, Said Benrahma, Issa Diop, Daniel Chesters, Aji Alese, Ryan Fredericks.
