Perry Groves praises West Ham new-boy Tomas Soucek and discusses coming games

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Former Arsenal midfielder Perry Groves feels West Ham’s signing of Tomas Soucek in last month’s transfer window was a good move.

Speaking to TalkSport, the two-time league winner highlighted the need for David Moyes to change the mentality of players towards the club and feels 24-year-old Soucek may be able to lift others around him.

He said: “David Moyes has got to try and change the mentality at West Ham. It’s what I call a pension club. London, big, new stadium, they pay decent money. Players go there and not enough players have cared about West Ham, not enough put in a shift.

“Tomas Soucek coming in, I think he’s a really good signing. He’s about 6ft 4in, mobile, he’s got good physicality, he likes putting his foot in. That might lift people around him.”

TBR’s View – Soucek ticks a lot of boxes on paper but West Ham need him to settle quickly

It can be a big task for players to come from a different country having never played in England before and expect them to hit the ground running in a struggling team but that’s exactly the demand being placed on Soucek now.

He got 10 goals for Slavia Prague in 19 games before his move and the Hammers need him to take some of that confidence and replicate it in a side who look nervy right now.

It’s an incredibly tricky run of games they’ve got coming up. Perhaps playing away to sides like Manchester City and Liverpool, who West Ham aren’t expected to beat, will allow Soucek to bed in quietly.

But it is also a baptism of fire in some respects and David Moyes will be hoping his new midfielder can show his physicality and perhaps an eye for goal.