Could this Slavia Prague boy wonder be the next big 'Czech' signing for West Ham?

By Alessandro Schiavone in Prague

West Ham United famously love a Slavia Prague talent when they see one.

And to this day the Hammers have yet to regret dialing the Czech giants’ IBAN and transfer money.

Because it’s always been cash well spent and rarely did they have to pay top dollar for it.

Vladimir Coufal, Tomas Soucek and El Hadji Malick Diouf have all gone on to taste terrific success after swapping southeast Prague for the eastern part of London.

Coufal was a reliable servant in David Moyes’ legendary reign before he departed for Hoffenheim last summer. His left-back baton was handed over to Senegal international Diouf who was a beacon out of the darkness in the Hammers’ troubled first part of the current campaign. Last but not least, a man who needs no introduction. Soucek has cemented his place as one of the club’s greatest-ever midfielders of the modern era by chipping in with goals, indomitable displays and iconic airplane celebrations copied by countless kids in the schoolyards in Canning Town, Plaistow and so on.

If Nuno’s side are seeing the light again at the end of the tunnel and are still in with a shout of avoiding the drop, the two former Slavia stars deserve a big chunk of the credit.

And if the appetite comes with eating… why not take a punt on Nigerian boy wonder Mubarak Suleiman now?

Given the two clubs’ habit of doing business, nobody would bat an eyelid if 18-year-old Nigerian winger Suleiman were to follow in the footsteps of his predecessors.

And Capital Football, who were on site as Slavia went seven points clear at the top of the Chance Liga standings, got an inkling that 2007-born Suleiman could well be the latest infant prodigy to come out of the club’s special conveyor belt of talent.

And the player himself is certainly walking on water (and on air) right now. Having forced his way into Slavia’s first-team after bagging a staggering five goals in six Youth League games, he has made an immediate impact in professional football too. And the youngster made a mockery of ominous stats that only 4% of academy players worldwide make the grade into the senior squad as he burst onto the scene with a goal on his debut. That was followed up by an impressive assist on match-day two. 

His disallowed smashing volley from the edge of the box on Saturday would have capped things off in glorious way. But conversely it would also added an extra tad of pressure on his young and fragile shoulders.

Operating as an inverted winger wide on the left flank, the precocious Mubarak had fans on the edge of their seats in the opening 45 minutes.

On only his first start on home soil, he stretched and dazzled Slovan’s defence with his customary changes of pace, constant movement and relentless pressure off the ball. 

He displayed a maturity beyond his tender years and didn’t wilt under pressure. The precocious kid also demonstrated a brilliant ability to get out of tight spaces thanks to a refined technique and an “Antonio Cassano-esque” first-touch.

A real thorn in the Liberec’s side, he went about things in energetic fashion and ran their midfielders and right-back into the ground for 45 lung-busting minutes. There’s certainly no denying the fact that he combines vision, execution and grace.

His collector’s item of a volley may have been chalked off but it fed into the narrative that the kid has a high ceiling.

He understandably faded in the second period which was down to the fact that he’s still bit undercooked on physical level and has to get used to mixing it with established professionals on what was only his second start. Playing academy football is one thing, doing so with grown-up adults is yet another.

Hence translating his stunning Czech top-flight debuts into the Premier League would be a big ask at the minute.

And most London giants such as like Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur would perhaps baulk at the fact that his exploits come in what is considered to be the 10th European division in terms of UEFA Ranking.

Yet not even Kanu, Okocha and Osimhen, three of Suleiman's country’s greatest-ever players, scored on their European debuts. And none of these Nigerian greats marked their first professional debut seasons with glory which seems to be a formality as Sparta Prague are increasingly vanishing in Slavia’s rearview mirror.

That said, never mind if Mubarak wouldn’t be a glamour signing for West Ham. Most of the stars who arrived at the London Stadium amid huge fanfare failed to hit the high notes anyway. Yet players who had to be looked up on Wikipedia first by those of Hammers persuasion such as Bowen, Antonio, Soucek and Diouf have been class acts. 

For now we should take his sudden rise to fame with a grain of salt. And our confidence in Mubarak could yet turn out to be misplaced. But if his three opening games are anything to go by, David Sullivan and co should make the most of their great relations with the Czech giants to get their hands on Suleiman before he’s pinched by someone else.

With major clubs having scouts in place worldwide these days, his name won't slip through the net for any longer. And it certainly won't be long before he is circled and bandied about as the the next 'big thing' in England.

Yet with Crysencio Summerville in the form of his life and no need to rush things with survival now the overwhelming priority, the Hammers could loan him back to the club until the summer of 2027. Especially if they secure a place in next season's Premier League.

Unbeknown to most of them, hardly any West Ham fans would be dancing in the streets if he is to end up in Rush Green.

But what about all good things coming in…fours?