West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek has spoken about the difficulties he faced settling into life in England during the coronavirus pandemic. The Czech Republic star revealed that West Ham helped him to settle and the first thing he had to do was master the English language.
Tomas Soucek said “I arrived during the Covid-19 time which was really hard but the club helped me settle in. It was my first transfer to a foreign team and everyone was there for me from the first moment, and at home I tried to learn English and tried to get to know my area. It all makes a positive difference.”
Soucek was speaking along with Declan Rice ahead of Euro 2020 to local people as part of the West Ham Foundations Players’ Project. Soucek arrived at the London Stadium on loan in January 2020 before a permanent move to the club later that year. As part of the project, Hammers players from the men’s, women’s and academy teams have been contacting people in the local community to offer support and to talk about wellbeing issues and provide insight into their own experiences.