New West Ham United signing Tomas Soucek could be involved in their huge clash against Brighton and Hove Albion at the London Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Hammers go into the crunch Premier League clash in pretty ordinary form and in need of a turnaround in their fortunes, and boss David Moyes could turn to his January recruit in a bid to find it.
West Ham are above the drop zone in the top flight on goal difference only, after a defeat to Liverpool in their latest outing, but should they find a win against the Seagulls, they will rise above them and ease their immediate concerns of relegation.
The Hammers were busy in January, and one of the men they brought to the London Stadium was Czech Republic midfielder Soucek, who has arrived on loan for the remainder of the season from Slavia Prague.
He sat and watched the defeat to Liverpool from the stands, but he could be handed his West Ham debut against Brighton, as Moyes hinted when he addressed the media ahead of the game.
“He’s only had a few days’ training, but he’s been at a training camp and he’s had a couple of bits of football since their winter break,” the Hammers official website quotes him as saying.
“I think I’m seeing exactly what he is: I think he’s a good midfield player, he’s comfortable with the ball, he’s got an ability to get forward and he can cover a lot of ground for us, we hope, during the course of the season, and then every game at the moment.
“We’re just trying to weigh up where he is. Obviously I’m going to have him involved tomorrow, but I think it could be a bit quick for him. We’ll assess that.”
Moyes also confirmed that the match would come too soon for West Ham playmaker Felipe Anderson, while last-minute signing Jarrod Bowen did not arrive in time to be cleared to feature against Brighton.