Birthday Boy Soucek Delivers Once Again for West Ham

February 1 marked five years since Tomas Soucek first stepped onto the pitch in a West Ham jersey, making his debut in the Premier League. Today, as the Czech captain turns 30, it’s a fitting moment to reflect on his notable journey in England’s top tier.

On that day, Soucek crossed his arms and displayed the iconic crossed hammers emblem to a full house at London Stadium—a truly dreamlike moment. It was on February 1 that Soucek made his mark in the Premier League.

Shortly after, he watched from the stands as West Ham faced a formidable Liverpool side. Just two days later, the Czech midfielder was thrust into the starting lineup against Brighton.

Manager David Moyes quickly realised that without his new recruit from Slavia Prague, wearing the number 28, West Ham’s fortunes suffered—a sentiment echoed by the club’s supporters.

Whether it was Julen Lopetegui or current manager Graham Potter—who incidentally was in charge for Soucek’s debut—Soucek’s position has remained steadfast. In fact, his influence has only grown stronger.

The midfielder has become a pivotal player for West Ham, with the team’s ability to secure points fluctuating significantly based on his presence on the pitch. These are grounded truths rather than mere opinions.

Since his arrival in 2020, he has featured in 183 Premier League matches, starting 171 of them. This is no small feat, particularly from a Czech perspective; he ranks third in appearances among Czech players in the Premier League, surpassed only by Petr Cech (443) and Patrik Berger (229). He lags just six goals behind Berger on the scoring front.

Soucek has truly earned the nickname ‘Iron Man’ of West Ham, having played no fewer than 32 league matches in each of the last five seasons since his debut.

Excluding goalkeepers, only James Tarkowski (187) and Bruno Fernandes (184) have played more matches than Soucek since he joined.

What is the reason for this? The statistics from Opta provide some insights. West Ham has drastically improved with Soucek in the squad—averaging more goals and conceding fewer. The same pattern holds true regarding shots taken and shots faced.

This improvement is mirrored in the club’s overall success; they have experienced a 10% higher win rate when Soucek is in the side, and their average points haul per game rises by half a point in his presence.

Individually too, Soucek has excelled. Only Jordan Ayew (2,449) has completed more tackles in the Premier League than Soucek’s impressive tally of 2,320. In terms of duels won, only Tarkowski (1,224) boasts a better success rate than Soucek’s 1,237.

Soucek’s standout attribute is his dominance in headed duels; he leads with 1,314, while Chris Wood stands second with 1,269. He finds himself second to Tarkowski in terms of success rate (774 compared to Soucek’s 737).

Moreover, he ranks fourth in ground interceptions, trailing behind Jan Bednarek, his former teammate Declan Rice, and Tarkowski during his Premier League career.

Interestingly, Soucek has also made significant contributions where it often goes unnoticed—by scoring goals. Remarkably, 28 of his 32 goals have either given West Ham the lead or levelled the contest.

When comparing players who’ve scored at least 15 goals for West Ham, Soucek boasts an impressive 87.5% rate in crucial goals, ranking second only to Bobby Zamora. He outperforms notable former strikers like Joe Cole, Andy Carroll, and Javier Hernandez.

Should he net another match-winning goal soon, Soucek will surpass Kevin Nolan to sit second in the club’s historical rankings with a superior percentage (currently, he has 12 decisive goals out of his 32, accounting for 37.5%). Frank Lampard holds the top spot, having scored 10 match-winners from 24 goals for West Ham (41.7%).

How soon can Soucek overtake him? He requires just four more goals, but he will need to watch out for Jarrod Bowen, who’s rapidly climbing with 17 match-winners among his 50 goals (34%).

Overall, Soucek’s record in the Premier League is remarkable for a defensive midfielder. Today, the 30-year-old has an opportunity to celebrate his birthday with a memorable performance in West Ham’s clash against Leicester, an opponent he has yet to score against in league play.