Vladimir Coufal believes his time with West Ham has helped him mature and improve as a player. The 28-year-old Czech international signed for West Ham in October 2020 for what is now seen as a bargain fee of just £5.4 million. Coufal arrived and was thrown straight into the West Ham team without the need for time to acclimatise to the pace of the English game, as many players new to the Premier League require. With a Champions League campaign behind him at Slavia Prague and as an established Czech international Coufal was already an important part of his national setup.
Vladimir Coufal said: “Since I’ve been in in the Premier League, I feel the guys in the national team look for help from me even more. I feel more responsibility for the team and for my players. Playing in the Premier League with the best players in the world has helped me a lot. The experience has turned me into a better and more important player.”
Coufal’s impressive first season with West Ham has continued into the international arena with the right-back providing an inch-perfect cross for Patrick Schick’s opener against Scotland. An opening match victory over Scotland followed by a creditable draw with Croatia saw the Czech’s qualify for the knock-out stage with a game to spare. Following the 1-0 loss against England, the Czech’s will now face a tricky assignment versus either Belgium or Netherlands in the last-16 and Coufal is intent on continuing his exceptional season.
Vladimir Coufal said: “There is a special feeling when you represent the national team, but I never feel big pressure to perform personally. That said, I have hope that we can be successful like our team in ‘96.”
