I saw Barak also went to Lecce. They are just above relegation, but he should be playing there consistently which is what he needs to get back into the Euro picture. Hopefully he can help keep them up.
Possibly the strangest time for a "transfer rumor." Martin Hasek who went from being a key player to having terminating his contract over last winter's break (in a series of events that really could almost only happen at the Sparta Prague of the last 5 years), is now being linked by Turkish media with Besiktas. There would almost certainly be legal disputes concerning his eligibility for next season.
On current form I suspect that Soucek will remain in the Premier League next season whether West Ham does or not.
With the season winding down and a short off-season on the horizon, it would seem that the two most likely big moves from the league are Ondrej Kolar and Adam Hlozek. For Hlozek it looks like the most likely destination is Germany, with Dortmund or Leipzig rumored. Kolar had winter interest from Nice, and has been recently monitored by Ajax and Valencia. Both would cost around 15 million (Euros)
A rare noteworthy Czech women's football transfer, Katerina Svitkova makes the Soucek move going from Slavia to West Ham. First Czech player in the English women's league.
With Werner leaving Red Bulls, I think they will be looking to keep Schick. He has done largely well in Germany, and I think he'd actually turn into a decent striker there.
His agent told the press that he wants to stay there too, but I think Roma have been stubborn on at a price that Leipzig doesn't want to pay. In addition to Milan there is interest from a team in England and a team in Spain. The team in England seems to be Newcastle if twitter gossip is to be believed, that would be a big step down from a Champions League contender in Germany although I think Schick could do well in England.
Schick is a big guy, but the premier league is a fast paced hard league. I think the bundesliga is the best league for him. Strikers seem to thrive there. Hopefully Roma can get a deal worked out because going back to Italy would just stall his career again.
Safe to say Slavia's about to get paid. Soucek's fee would break Rosicky's record for a transfer from the league, although I suspect Hlozek will break the new record next year.
I sort of forgot about Zmrhal's move to Italy with everything that happened, but he scored 2 goals for Brescia in a (rare) victory against SPAL.
Appears West Ham will indeed sign Soucek permanently. Hasn't been officially announced as far as I know, but should be revealed once West Ham secure their place in the top flight for next season. Honestly, I didn't expect him to have such an immediate impact and be so well-received, but I'm glad that's been the case. He's really developed into a complete player that looks like he could score 10+ goals in a full season. I think his development is interesting in that he was never really projected to reach this level in my opinion. He was a solid U21 prospect, but certainly not as hyped as Schick, Jankto, and Cerny from that team. He's gotten progressively better since 23 and obviously benefited tremendously from Slavia reaching a respectable international standard under Trpisovsky.
I have a personal theory that talent in Czech football for many years was judged on almost exclusively technical attributes, but that is changing a bit with Trpsovsky's approach. Even when he was being linked to West Ham there were comments saying he's not a footballer.. Soucek is not graceful on the ball like Schick, but he is tactically smart and physical presence that can play box to box for 90 minutes.
Seeing some speculation that Schick's loan has been extended through August, so he will be finishing Champions League with Leipzig. Can't say that otherwise makes much sense unless they still think they can keep him.
It was a foregone conclusion once they became safe, but Soucek has made the permanent move to West Ham. The loan fee + option is I believe 550 Million CzK (21 Million Euros). I mentioned that Slavia was getting paid, but 10% of his transfer is going to his childhood club Havlickuv Brod. My understanding is that will cover their budget as a 4th division side for about a decade.
Lukas Vorlicky, an 18 year-old midfielder just signed a 5 year contract with Atalanta Bergamo. He's been in their youth system for a couple of years (he started out at Brno) and had an impressive record at the U17 level so it looks like they see potential.
Just as I settled in for a dull window considering the pandemic, shortened seasons, budget shortfalls we get a very out of nowhere bit of news: Portuguese side Vitória Guimaraes has made a bid for Slovacko and Czech U-21 goalkeeper Matous Trmal. He's a good young player in a position that we are already sort of loaded, but Portugal would be a good move.
and even more news today, Vladimir Coufal is drawing interest from West Ham, Southampton and Brighton. He's about to turn 28 and he'd likely be a potential bargain (~5 million) for clubs that have tight budgets.
This move is complete, and I think a very interesting one. So West Ham may also be interested in Masopust according to some rumors today. I watched a couple of their matches once Soucek got there and they very clearly need some defenders, so I think Coufal with his workrate could step right in and be an upgrade. Masopust... well I have to agree with Mr. Danicek on this one: Unpopular opinion: even after he scored a few important goals, I still believe Lukáš Masopust is a bit out of his depth as a starter at Slavia and his RW spot would be one of the easiest to upgrade on for the club should they choose to do so.Now Premier League interest? So odd.— Czech Football 🇨🇿 (@czechfooty) July 31, 2020
Perhaps more appropriate for the Czech league thread, but a few defenders that were based abroad are moving to the domestic flight. After spending the last decade abroad (the vast majority of it in Turkey), Ondrej Celustka will join Sparta Prague. I think this is a really good move for Sparta, but for Silhavy and the national team, a reminder of just how dire our central defence situation currently is. At 31, he definitely still has a few good years left in him should he remain healthy, and I think he's still in his prime (just the later stages) given his consistent performances under Silhavy. Also, the young David Heidenreich will spend the upcoming season with Teplice on loan from Atalanta. It's crucial for his development that he gains experience at the senior level, so a good move in my opinion.
I think all threads can be interchangeable at this point. I would have rather Heidenreich wind up at more of a Plzen level club than Teplice to get that experience (although as a defender he'll certainly get a lot of pracice) though especially since Hubnik left for semi-retirement at Olomouc. I think Sparta is fine for Celustka if Turkey was going to be his club ceiling anyway, and thats massive for Sparta as they look like they will also keep Hancko next season. They probably need a replacement for Kanga, but otherwise they look loaded next season.