West Ham United are interested in signing Slavia Prague right-back Vladimir Coufal, according to Jacob Steinberg and Fabrizio Romano of The Guardian. The Hammers are in need of cover at the back after Ryan Fredericks went off injured in the 4-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers – he will be out until after the international break.
West Ham United Interested in Slavia Prague Defender Vladimir Coufal
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While academy graduate Ben Johnson has impressed in his handful of appearances for the senior West Ham side, boss David Moyes knows he cannot rely solely on the 20-year-old until Fredericks returns.
Johnson is the only available option currently following the departures of both Jeremy Ngakia and Pablo Zabaleta in the summer.
There are also reports linking the club to centre-back Nikola Maksimovic after they missed out on other targets James Tarkowski and Wesley Fofana, who is set to join Leicester City from French side St Etienne.
Who is Vladimir Coufal?
Twenty-eight-year-old Coufal currently plays for Czech champions Slavia Prague, the same side West Ham signed midfielder Tomas Soucek from.
Should the Hammers land Coufal and he has anywhere close to the success that Soucek has had since he moved to the Premier League, then it will be another astute acquisition from the East London club.
Since joining Slavia in 2018, Coufal has won two Czech titles and was also part of the Czech Republic national side that beat England 2-1.
Although Coufal only signed a new deal with Slavia in August, it is thought that West Ham are in a position to be able to land their target, although no fee has currently been agreed.
Further Targets
Having missed out on Tarkowski and Fofana, West Ham are also keeping tabs on Arsenal’s Calum Chambers and Swansea City defender Joe Rodon.
However, it appears that their interest in securing Ruben Loftus-Cheek on loan from Chelsea has cooled, with Aston Villa remaining in the hunt.
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