West Ham star’s rift with David Moyes puts Premier League duo and German club on his trail
Bayer Leverkusen and two Premier League clubs are reportedly interested in signing West Ham’s Vladimir Coufal in January.
The right-back has a contract until 2024 with the Hammers but has grown increasingly frustrated with David Moyes due to a lack of minutes. It’s reported that West Ham would consider offers for the wantaway defender, but it would require a considerable fee for them to sell mid-season.
The 30-year-old has started just seven Premier League appearances this season, with his last being in mid-October.
This is despite the Czech international being a key figure in West Ham’s excellent 2020/21 campaign, which saw them miss out on Champions League qualification by just two points.
The dispute between Moyes and Coufal may come as a bit of a surprise to Hammers fans, as the Scotsman has previously been complimentary of the full-back.
In October, Moyes said: “Vladimir has played really well and if you think of where he has come the past two or three years, the journey which he has helped us on too, from being a side fighting relegation for long periods to a team pushing towards the top of the league, Vladimir has played a huge part in that,” he told The Athletic.
Which again, makes it all the more staggering that Coufal has started only seven matches in the league this season.
Can the Hammers afford to lose Coufal?
According to Sky Sports, the Hammers would listen to ‘concrete offers’ for Coufal but are reluctant to sell given their injury issues in defence.
Aaron Cresswell and Kurt Zouma are both sidelined, while Craig Dawson could also leave the club in January.
The Hammers have brought in some cover in the form of Brazilian centre-back Luizao, but at just 20 years old he is unlikely to go straight into Moyes’ starting eleven.
The West Ham boss is also reportedly considering a loan move for Everton’s Michael Keane, but again, this is another player who cannot play in Coufal’s right-back position.
It really would be a bizarre move to let a player who has been so consistent for West Ham go in January, especially given the lack of depth in that area.
However, if Coufal is considering running down his contract, it may be worth the Hammers selling now while they can still recoup some transfer funds from a sale.
As for Bayer Leverkusen, signing Coufal could be a smart move as they could potentially lose their first-choice right-back Jeremie Frimpong to Manchester United in January, as exclusively revealed by TEAMtalk.
If Frimpong does head to Old Trafford, Leverkusen will be desperate to have another solid full-back option at the club.
As for the two unnamed Premier League clubs, we will have to wait and see if any concrete interest surfaces in the coming weeks.
