Soucek Returns to Full Training, Contract Expires at End of Season

West Ham United midfielder Tomas Soucek suffered an ankle ligament injury while representing the Czech Republic at the 2026 World Cup and has now returned to full training.

The 31-year-old Soucek's contract expires at the end of this season. He was injured on June 25 in the final group-stage match against Mexico.

Soucek was unable to take part in West Ham United's pre-season friendlies against Southend, Stevenage, Rangers and German side Magdeburg. However, he has attended every West Ham home league match this season.

Although West Ham added midfielder options this summer with Ane Engels and Divine Mukasa, while academy graduate Lewis Orford also emerged, head coach Nuno Espirito Santo still views Soucek as an important member of the squad.

At Friday's pre-match press conference ahead of the home game against Wrexham, Nuno discussed Soucek's recovery: “He is improving, he has already taken part in some team training. He is also trying to work with the fitness coaches so that when he fully returns, he can be in the right position. This is the priority, and then we will see when he can play.”

Soucek is not the only player on West Ham's injury list. Forward Taty Castellanos missed the midweek win over Bolton Wanderers due to injury and remains a doubt for the match. Second-choice goalkeeper Alphonse Areola is also being assessed, having not been included in a matchday squad since the 2-1 defeat to London rivals Charlton Athletic.

Nuno added: “The schedule is tight and we have a lot to assess. Taty is one of the players in this situation. He felt some pain and inflammation in his tendon during the 3-0 win over Derby County, but he is improving and we will see. Areola has a thigh contusion and is also getting better. We continue to assess him every day.”

After beating Bolton, West Ham briefly moved to the top of the Championship before being overtaken by West Bromwich Albion. Nuno's team is unbeaten in its last five matches and aims to build further momentum to maintain its promotion push.

“It was a very important win for us and gave the team a boost in confidence,” Nuno said. “We are improving, but we also realize there are things we need to improve and get right. We cannot always score three goals, so we have to look at how we concede goals.”

“We have kept clean sheets before, and that was the first priority for this match. The players are building an understanding, so it is very positive. If we can play attractive football, of course that is welcome, but the main intention is to improve every aspect of the game.”

Soucek's return at least gives Nuno another option in midfield. As for when he can actually return to the pitch, Nuno did not provide a timetable, only saying, “We will see afterwards when he can play.”