Declan Rice lauds West Ham teammate Tomas Soucek

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Declan Rice has told Sky Sports that it has been amazing to play alongside Tomas Soucek, labelling the midfielder an unbelievable addition to the West Ham United squad.

Soucek has been a revelation since arriving at the London Stadium last January. The 26-year-old is the Hammers’ top goalscorer in the Premier League this term with eight strikes to his name.

And his partnership with Rice in the middle of the park has been integral in driving David Moyes’s men up the table and into top four contention.

Their latest win came on Monday as they beat Leeds 2-0. What was arguably so impressive about the Irons was the way they fought their way to the three points despite not being at their best.

Few Hammers players seemed particularly happy with their own performance. But when asked about his teammate, Rice suggested that he could not praise Soucek enough.

“He’s been amazing, he’s always talking,” he told Sky Sports. “He’s a player next to you you know you can trust. You can give him the ball in tight areas, he’s strong. He goes out there and gives everything and that’s exactly what you want playing for this football club.

“To have him now playing next to me is a real boost and he’s been an unbelievable addition to this squad. His goals this season and his personality has taken us a really long way.”

The deal to sign Soucek permanently cost the Hammers £19.1 million, according to BBC Sport. And based on the start he has made, there is every chance that that move could go down as one of their best in recent memory.

He is scoring goals, forming an outstanding understanding with Rice, and he is at an age where he should only just be about to hit his peak.

It is not going to be easy for West Ham to repeat the trick in the transfer market this summer.

But Soucek is one of a number of inspired signings the club have made over the last couple of years. So there is every reason to believe that the Hammers could have a few more gems up their sleeve in the coming months.