TBR’s View: Moyes comments suggest West Ham might have their very own Tim Cahill

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West Ham United may be battling relegation, but they have at least made a transfer move that might help them in their fight. 

The Hammers snapped up the highly-rated Czech Republic international Tomas Soucek from Slavia Prague this week, on an initial loan deal. As reported by the Daily Mail, Soucek has cost an initial £3.8 million with a £13 million option-to-buy, an overall figure of £16.8 million.

Soucek has been starring in European competition with Slavia for some time and Moyes is clearly a big fan of his talents. One area of his game that he was particularly interested in was the 24-year-old’s ability to score with his head. 

Moyes was quoted by The Guardian at pointing this factor out just before West Ham tied down the signature.

“I watched him play twice against England and all his Champions League games this season, and I’ve got to say he scored some incredible goals, mainly with his head. I’m hoping we’ve got a balance of something, if we need him to play deeper, if we need him as an attacking midfielder.”

TBR’s View

Here’s why Soucek’s talent with the head should excite West Ham fans. Moyes has a proven track record when it comes to midfielders posing an aerial threat. 

In particular, this was prevalent in his days at Everton. 

The most notable proponent was, of course, Tim Cahill. The Australian became a potent threat in the air under Moyes, despite his sub six foot frame. 

Timing and positioning were key to Cahill scoring 31 of his 56 Premier League goals with his head, as reported by The Telegraph. 

It places the Australian eighth in the headed goal charts in Premier League history, just behind another Everton legend Duncan Ferguson. No midfielder in Premier League history has scored more headed goals. 

Cahill was not alone at Everton either. Moyes spent big money on Marouane Fellaini as a defensive midfielder, much like he has done with Soucek. But soon he was developed into an attacking threat, also largely because of his aerial ability. 

If Moyes can produce similar results with the Czech international then West Ham will undoubtedly be onto a winner. If he pops up with the odd key headed goal, it could end up being the difference between survival and the drop.