Vladimir Coufal Set for West Ham Medical After £5m Fee Agreed
By Michael Lee
Slavia Prague right-back Vladimir Coufal will undergo a medical with West Ham on Thursday as the two clubs agreed a fee for the player.
The 28-year-old, who has appeared in the Champions League for the Czech side, was the subject of a rejected loan bid by the Hammers earlier in the week. Manager David Moyes has been keen to strengthen his defensive options for some time now and had identified Coufal as the ideal player to compete with Ryan Fredericks for the right-back spot.
It would now seem as though West Ham have got their man. On Wednesday evening, Slavia president Jaroslav Tvrdik confirmed the news that a bid had been accepted for Coufal via social media, with the fee reported to be around £5m.
"I had to thank the great warrior Vladimír Coufal for his fantastic spell in Slavia. The deal for EUR 6m was signed, he moves to @WestHam. The last condition is the medical tomorrow in London. Thank you and good luck in PL!"
— SK Slavia Prague EN ⭐️⭐️ (@slavia_eng) September 30, 2020
Chairman of Board Jaroslav Tvrdík on @Coufi5 https://t.co/GEAS3d4UV9
Coufal, a former teammate of West Ham's Tomas Soucek, has also impressed at international level. Capped eight times by the Czech Republic, Coufal impressed during their EURO 2020 qualifying win over England last year and recently scored his first international goal in a win over Slovakia.
He would also represent West Ham's first summer signing. After months of frustration at the London Stadium, it would appear as if the club are moving to strengthen their porous backline. Bids for Burnley's James Tarkowski and St Etienne's Wesley Fofana have been rejected and Moyes has been keen to sign players who would strengthen the first-team after years of failed transfers by the club.
West Ham have been short at right-back for a while. Pablo Zabaleta and Jeremy Ngakia left the club in June leaving only Fredericks and youngster Ben Johnson to fill the gap. Moyes is also looking for a new centre-back and reports elsewhere have suggested the Hammers have now turned to Swansea City's Joe Rodon, Fiorentina's Nikola Milenkovic or Juventus' Daniele Rugani.
The fee for Coufal would represent the first time West Ham have spent money on a right-back since signing Sam Byram from Leeds United in January 2016.