David Moyes should urge another West Ham United raid on Slavia Prague to sign striker Jan Kuchta in the summer transfer window.
What’s the word?
According to Football Insider, the Irons joined a number of Premier League clubs in eying a summer swoop for Kuchta after scouting the Slavia Prague star in the Europa League.
It is claimed that the London Stadium natives had scouts observe the 24-year-old in person during Thursday’s 1-1 draw with Rangers, where there were representatives of Newcastle United, Southampton and Brighton & Hove Albion also in attendance.
Should West Ham sign Slavia’s Kuchta?
Yes, he looks promising
No, he isn’t good enough
West Ham already have two of Slavia Prague’s former stars at the London Stadium in eight-goal top scorer Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal, who Moyes has described as “excellent”.
Kuchta has now caught the Hammers’ attention with his efforts in the Europa League this season, where he has scored twice and assisted two goals in seven games after hitting a brace against Ligue 1 side Nice in the group stage.
He helped Jindeich Trpisovsky’s side eliminate Leicester City from the competition in the round of 32 and could be the next to make a Premier League move as talent spotters look at Czech football as a key market.
The former Czech Republic under-21 international has also ruffled the back of the net 11 times and set up five goals in 17 Fortuna Liga fixtures this term, having excelled on his return to the Sinobo Stadium following a spell with Slovan Liberec.
Kuchta had struggled to establish himself at Slavia Prague before an initial loan move to Liberec which they turned permanent last year, but has kicked on magnificently since being re-signed in the summer.
His haul of 13 goals and seven assists in all competitions has marked the 2020/21 campaign as Kuchta’s most prolific yet, eclipsing the 10 goals and three assists penned across all competitions last term.
Should West Ham sign Kuchta?
Much can change for Kuchta between now and the end of the season, but West Ham are heading on the right path by scouting the 24-year-old.
Kuchta’s return to Slavia was a mostly sombre affair in the early months of his homecoming, but he turned a corner at the start of the year to net seven of his Fortuna Liga goals over his side’s four games played in January.
If the Slavia product is able to keep up a hit rate of that level, Moyes would absolutely have to urge West Ham to launch a swoop for the forward, having seen Soucek and Coufal adapt to the Premier League so quickly and become key components of his line-up.
Trpisovsky has lauded Kuchta for his endless work rate beyond his goals as well, noting [via quotes shared by iSport] how the forward is “an aggressive player who is annoying to the defender”.
The Slavia boss has also claimed of Kuchta: “I think the hardest part is his hard work and hunger. He goes for those situations and that rewards him with goals.
“That’s how it is in football. It’s about quality, the choice of place and teammates who can find it. He works for the team, does not spare a step and is optimistic in the line.”
Coufal’s endless energy is also one of the aspects which Moyes loves most about the right-back, suggesting he could quickly feel the same way about Kuchta if West Ham were to be successful in edging out their Premier League rivals to his signature this summer.
“I couldn’t keep him off the training pitch yesterday [the day after the Aston Villa game],” Moyes told The Athletic last month. “I wanted them to have a rest and just stay in but he’s on a different level.”
In other news, West Ham are keen to sign a “special talent” who his manager feels “privileged” to have in his squad…