Soucek rejected an offer from Arabia! People tapped their foreheads, but I’d rather go back to Slavia, says midfielder

Tomas Soucek has been the best Czech footballer in recent years. The captain of the national team and the driving force of West Ham had an interesting financial offer from Saudi Arabia in the summer, which he decided to refuse.

Slavia, Viktoria Žižkov, Slavia, Liberec, Slavia, West Ham. This is the journey of Tomas Soucek so far in his professional career. He has long outgrown the Czech league, both in terms of play and salary.

At West Ham, he immediately became one of the key players and has never let this role out of his hands. In five seasons, he scored 30 goals, which is an admirable number for a defensive midfielder.

Especially after his second season in London, there was speculation about a possible transfer to Arsenal or Manchester United. Soucek remained loyal to the Hammers, but before the season a possible transfer was on the table again. To the hottest destination for the summer of 2023, Saudi Arabia.

“Last summer I already received an offer directly from Saudi Arabia. But I immediately gave it away, it’s not my cup of coffee,” Soucek revealed on the V Repre podcast.

He could have joined the company of stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Karim Benzema or teamed up with several Premier League stars who left for Arabia in the summer, like Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino, Jordan Henderson, Aleksandar Mitrovic or Aymeric Laporte.

“A lot of people told me they were knocking their heads wondering why. But it’s not for me. Not America, not China. I’d rather go back to the Czech league and live with my family and friends. And if it was Slavia that raised me, that would be a plus,” the Czech national team captain added.

Soucek to Italy or Spain?

It won’t be to the Middle East, but a change of address is not completely out of the question. Recently, there have been speculations that Soucek is being pursued by Inter Milan.

“It’s true that sometimes I think about it – to try out the Italian, German or Spanish league. It would be more interesting than being in England all my life. But I’m also tempted to be in one team for a few years, it’s the Premier League and a big team,” Soucek concluded.

Source: V Repre podcast, Transfermarkt