Wolves' Ladislav Krejčí named new Czechia captain for Ireland battle

Tomás Soucek has been stripped permanently of the captaincy.  The West Ham United midfielder was disciplined by the Czechia FA after his team failed to applaud their fans following the facile 6-0 win over Gibraltar in November.

Pavel Nedvěd said the decision to appoint Ladislav Krejčí as captain was "quite simple and clear". Pic:: Nick Potts/PA Wire.

Czechia have appointed 26-year-old Wolves defender Ladislav Krejčí as their new captain for Thursday’s meeting with Ireland, stripping Tomás Soucek permanently of the armband.

The West Ham United midfielder was disciplined by the Czechia FA after his team failed to applaud their fans following the facile 6-0 win over Gibraltar in November.

New manager Miroslav Koubek, in conjunction with general manager, legendary former midfielder Pavel Nedvěd, hinted last week at a new appointment and the big reveal has finally occurred.

“I have a sense of the whole situation in the team,” said former Ballon D’Or winner Nedvěd.

“You can feel how the team works and who is the natural leader, how everyone approaches it.

“The decision was quite simple and clear for me.” 

Krejčí is a surprise choice given the abundance of older peers in the squad but Koubek is determined to place his stamp on proceedings, starting with the World Cup playoff semi-final.

The centre-back moved to England last summer, initially in a loan move from Spanish club Girona but the transfer will be made permanent on a four-year deal for €30m if certain milestones are reached. Wolves remain bottom of the table, 13 points off safety and on the brink of relegation.

Top scorer Patrik Schick said the captaincy wasn’t of interest to him but he’d provided feedback to the decision-makers.

“I have said several times that I do not want to be the captain,” said the Bayer Leverkusen forward earlier on Monday.

“There are better candidates for that and I do not need to be a leader thanks to the armband.

“I try to lead the team in performance on the field. Moreover, the armband has no influence on what I offer the team off the field. Now it is up to the coach to decide.

“I have my own view, which I told the coach, but logically I won't publicise it. I didn't give him any tips because he already had them.”