West Ham full-back Vladimir Coufal has sung the praises of Irons team-mate and Czech Republic compatriot Tomas Soucek.
Signed in October from Slavia Prague, following in the footsteps of his Czech colleague, Coufal has proven to be an astute signing for the Hammers.
The 28-year-old admitted that he has his ”best friend” to thank for his impressive start to life in east London and told tonight’s match programme (via Evening Standard) how Soucek helped him settle whilst praising the midfielder, who has emerged as a recent transfer target for Manchester United:
Soucek is my best friend in the Czech Republic so he has been very, very helpful to me since I arrived at West Ham, and I’m very grateful to him. I have known him for a long time, so I know he can still get better and better because his physical attributes are unbelievable.
I have to say it’s hard to defend against a player like him and I hope he will stay here for a long time.
Coufal also proclaimed that, should the Irons finish the season in their current position of sixth position, it would be a ”crazy and unbelievable” achievement, and one which has a strong chance of yielding Europa League football next term.
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The Czech duo have both impressed hugely since arriving at the London Stadium in 2020. Coufal’s impact may be more understated than that of Soucek as he isn’t the towering presence scoring a litany of crucial goals.
However, the defender signed for just £5m in October has been no less important to West Ham’s fine season so far, and his three assists in 19 Premier League appearances to date further prove his worth.
Hopefully the Irons faithful will get to see plenty more of the Czech duo doing what they do best in the claret and blue.
