West Ham star Tomas Soucek has revealed he has held an honest private chat with manager Graham Potter amid interest from Leeds United and Everton.
It was claimed this week that West Ham are preparing to sell Tomas Soucek with Everton and Leeds at the head of a growing queue.
Interest from the Toffees and newly-promoted Leeds has ramped up after Graham Potter froze Soucek out of the Hammers starting XI recently.
It is the first time in Soucek’s five-and-a-half years at West Ham that he has been relegated to a bench role.
The Czech midfielder has fought his way back into the side and took his goal tally for the season to nine in West Ham’s 2-0 win over Man United.
No smoke without fire over Soucek’s West Ham future?
Football correspondent Graeme Bailey claims West Ham are open to selling Soucek and that Everton and Leeds are not the only Premier League sides interested.
They say there is no smoke without fire.
And Bailey is not the first to report that West Ham boss Potter is open to selling Soucek this summer since Everton boss David Moyes and Leeds’ Daniel Farke registered their interest.
Potter is said to have ‘increasing doubts about the 30-year-old’s energy levels in midfield’ as he looks to overhaul the way West Ham play.
Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images
Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images
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Special arrangements are in place for several West Ham players to bid farewell to the club in the last home game of the season against Forest this weekend.
Many Hammers fans are not ready to say goodbye to Soucek, though, criticising the club for considering offloading the towering midfielder.
Ahead of the game, West Ham’s manager was asked about the midfielder amid the interest from Leeds United and Everton.
Potter had nothing but good things to say about Soucek, but stopped short of offering any assurances over his future at the London Stadium.
Soucek breaks silence on Leeds and Everton interest
Now West Ham star Soucek has broken his silence on the Leeds and Everton interest after an honest private chat with Potter.
The claims about West Ham being open to selling Soucek have caused a stir among fans.
That’s despite a top source close to Hammers majority owner David Sullivan recently claiming Soucek is ‘odds-on’ to join Everton this summer.
The prospect of the Czech being offloaded also comes with West Ham being desperate to raise funds for Potter’s rebuild due to PSR restrictions.
Everton and Leeds have been given encouragement by club sources also stating every player is up for sale except Jarrod Bowen.
Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images
Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images
Hammers star Soucek reveals private chat with Potter
But now Soucek has revealed he has held clear-the-air talks with Potter over his future.
And it may result in serious disappointment for Moyes and Farke.
Because the Czech appears to have won over Potter despite ‘not being the most obvious Graham Potter midfielder’.
After speaking privately with his manager amid the speculation he could be sold, Soucek has revealed Potter does see a future for him at West Ham if he is willing to accept being moved around to suit the team.
“He wants to use me in many positions, and I like that,” Soucek told Sky Sports.
“I want to be flexible, I can play deep and I can play higher, that’s my style – what I love about football and being a midfielder is when they can rotate all over the pitch.
“The manager likes it as well, and I hope we can find the balance together. We just need to be successful now…
“You can go for the ball as a No 6, then end up as a No 8 and finish as a No 10 all within a game. The other midfielders can all rotate around it.”
That seems pretty emphatic from Soucek and Potter.
The manager has showed his ruthless side by releasing Aaron Cresswell, Vladimir Coufal and Lukasz Fabianski when many expected them to be handed extensions.
In his most brutal verdict on the Hammers squad yet, Potter has also warned certain players refusing to change will be sold.
On the basis on these talks with Potter, it seems Soucek won’t be one of them – much to the disappointment of Everton and Leeds.
Although with the spectre of PSR looming large over the London Stadium, nothing is certain.