David Moyes is deciding whether or not to drop Tomas Soucek at West Ham this weekend.
That’s according to Football Insider, as the Hammers prepare for their return to Premier League action at home to Wolves.
The Irons are currently in 18th place having lost five of their first seven games, but can leapfrog their opponents with a victory on Saturday.
Soucek has been a constant in the starting line-up domestically thus far but hasn’t looked the same player this season, according to journalist Paul Brown.
The 2020/21 Hammer of the Year has been one of Moyes’ most used players and was labelled ‘unplayable’ by ex-Premier League winger Yannick Bolasie.
However, of late he has come in for criticism from journalist Alan Rzepa after an “awful” error against Everton.
Czech outlet Seznam Zpravy branded the midfielder’s performance in the Czech Republic’s 4-0 loss to Portugal ‘completely useless’ with his dip in form continuing while on international duty.
And now it seems that the coaching team are considering leaving the £47k-per-week ace out of the starting line-up for the visit of Wolves.
As per Football Insider, Moyes and his coaching team are ‘mulling’ over whether to ‘reshape’ their midfield, which could see summer arrival Lucas Paqueta playing in a deeper role.
Indeed, it could be an opportune time for Soucek to recharge the batteries, having played the second most minutes in the squad last season.
Declan Rice could operate as a lone No.6 with Paqueta playing further back in a move that should allow him to see more of the ball.
Last season the Brazilian ace scored 11 goals and provided seven assists in 44 appearances across all competitions as Lyon changed between a 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 system and a tactical tweak could allow him to reach those levels in east London.
Perhaps an ongoing contract dispute is playing on Soucek’s mind, too, with previous reports suggesting that there was a minor rift between the 52-cap Czech Republic ace and the Scottish manager.
Taking him out of the firing line could be beneficial but when in need of a victory, dropping one of your most reliable performers in recent seasons is a big call for Moyes and one he will be hoping doesn’t backfire.
