Slavia Prague have proven to be a surprising source of quality for West Ham United.
The Czech top flight hasn’t really been known as a huge exporter of talent to the Premier League in recent times, but that appears to be changing.
West Ham pounced to sign Tomas Soucek from Slavia in January 2020, and his superb displays meant they returned with another move last summer.
The Hammers signed right back Vladimir Coufal from Slavia, reuniting him with Soucek – and he has starred too, becoming a fan favourite alongside Soucek.
Could West Ham make it three? Well, The Mirror (January 8th, p53) claimed that Slavia attacker Abdallah Sima was a £20million target for David Moyes.
Add in that Soucek has recommended Sima to West Ham, as he admitted to Ceska Televize back in December, and a summer move wouldn’t be a huge shock.
Sima, 19, has been a sensation this season with 19 goals and five assists in just 29 games, and he scored a goal to kill off Leicester City in Thursday’s Europa League clash.
If Premier League clubs didn’t know about Sima before, they certainly do now, and West Ham will hope to fend off any rival interest.
Now, ex-Liverpool and Czech Republic ace Vladimir Smicer has told The Scottish Daily Mail (27/02, p121) that he thinks Sima is ‘always a threat’.
Smicer was honest though, claiming that Sima doesn’t dominate games just yet at this stage in his development, but he just manages to make a big difference at the right time.
“Sima is always a threat,” said Smicer. “He is really shining this season and producing goals. He is not a player who is always dominating a game, but he arrives in the right moment to make a difference,” he added.
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