11 Mar 2025 17:00:00 GMT?.css-1txiau5-AnswerContainer{color:var(--GlobalColorScheme-Text-secondaryText2);}Teplice won 2–1 over Hlucin on Tue
Predicted lineups are available for the match a few days in advance while the actual lineup will be available about an hour ahead of the match
11 Mar 2025 17:00:00 GMT?Teplice won 2–1 over Hlucin on Tue
11 Mar 2025 17:00:00 GMT.About the matchHlucin is playing home against Teplice on Tue
is home to around 14,000 people and counts a Gothic-style castle as its principal attraction
“It’s great for the academy at Hlucin because all the players want to be like them,” says David Kuban
a youth team coach at third-division side FC Hlucin
“Coufal is a role model because he played for the club (between 2010-12) and some of the players who have were told they weren’t good enough for (local first division team) Banik Ostrava
they aspire to follow in Coufal’s footsteps
We have a young lad in the academy whose name is Sebastian
He’s 12 and he and his father supported West Ham before Soucek and Coufal joined them — but now Sebastian can’t stop talking about them
“He’s so happy to see two Czech players in the first team
He often trains in the West Ham jersey because he believes he’ll play for them in the future
This is the impact players like Soucek and Coufal are having on young players in the Czech Republic.”
It is no surprise Coufal and Soucek continue to inspire the next generation of talent. Coufal lived in the small village of Ludgerovice in the north east of the Czech Republic with a population of just under 4,900. The right-back was doubted by coaches at Banik Ostrava, who thought he was “small and too weak”. but he used that rejection as motivation
later earning the nickname RoboCop at FC Hlucin for his hard work and determination before his ascent via Slovan Liberec
Slavia Prague and into West Ham’s first team
Soucek lived in the small town of Havlickuv Brod
and was initially deemed “nothing special” by a former team-mate at Slavia Prague
Now the 28-year-old is a very consistent figure under Moyes
Coufal and Soucek have endured setbacks on their journey to the London Stadium. But it is rather fitting that in Prague the duo will aim to help West Ham win their first major trophy since the 1980 FA Cup. Ahead of the Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina, it is worth remembering the Czech Republic is a country that has always had a strong link to West Ham
Tomas Repka (2001-06) was a fan favourite while Radoslav Kovac (2009-11) made over 50 appearances
Ludo Miklosko (1990-98) remains an icon and fans still chant about him
singing that he “comes from near Moscow” — despite the distance between the Russian capital and his Czech hometown of Prostejov being over 1,000 miles
the trio made a combined total of 459 appearances
Czech businessman Daniel Kretinsky — who became West Ham’s second-largest shareholder when he bought a 27 per cent stake in November 2021 — could soon become their majority owner
The Czech Republic has often had a positive influence on the club
When you arrive at the Vaclav Havel Airport
you are greeted with posters of the Conference League final
The squad arrived Monday afternoon and the locals are aware of the magnitude of this game
West Ham has become a closely watched club
This has been further reinforced by Kretinsky’s entry into the club’s ownership structure.”
It is not yet determined if Kretinsky will attend the final at the Fortuna Arena
The 47-year-old has attended a handful of matches this season and watches coverage in the Czech Republic when he is unable to attend
Kretinsky owns Sparta Prague and West Ham held an opening training session at their stadium on Tuesday
Sparta Prague are the most successful football club in Czech history
“He isn’t universally loved by supporters,” says Horky
They were really bad decisions and they set the club back
Kretinsky has a first option on David Sullivan’s shares and on the Golds’ stake
but he cannot proceed unless Sullivan and the late David Gold’s family are willing sellers
Sullivan still has his 38.8 per cent share and it is important to stress he currently has no intention of selling
speculation over the ownership is at the back of their minds
Their focus is on Wednesday and in the city centre is a replica of the Conference League trophy
Coufal and Soucek plan on lifting the real thing at a ground they are familiar with
Both had spells at Slavia Prague and the Fortuna Arena — the venue for Wednesday night’s game — is Slavia’s home ground
“It’s going to be a very special game and a very special night,” says Coufal
“To play in my home stadium where I know every corner
I’ve played in this stadium since leaving Slavia Prague but it will be my first time coming here with West Ham
I had dreams about taking my team to Prague but I didn’t know it would be for a final
I’ll take my team-mates around for a Czech beer if we win
I had to refuse a lot of requests but the most important people for me will be at the game
It’s good to hear we’ll be West Ham legends or written in the club’s history if we win this game
If we win this trophy it would be the top one in my career.”
Nicolas; and his two-and-a-half-year-old daughter
Coufal’s son has seen him win a major trophy
but his daughter is yet to see him lift silverware
A post shared by H A N A (@coufalova.hana)
“She wasn’t born when we were winning it with Slavia
so for her to have a photo with the trophy and to be there with me
even for me I almost have tears in my eyes when I imagine this,” he says
“She doesn’t know everything about football but she understands it
She’s really looking forward to the final and
Martin Skrehot played for Banik Ostrava’s academy and has known Coufal since they were six
While Skrehot never progressed beyond the second tier of the Czech National Football League
he is happy his childhood friend fulfilled his dreams despite the adversity he experienced earlier in his career
“Vlad sacrificed a lot to become a footballer
I remember one day I went to his house to see if he wanted to play outside and his father said: ‘Vladimir wants to finish his workout first’
He could play three matches in one day if he wanted to
We all loved football but none of us took it that seriously
That’s when we gave him the nickname RoboCop
is well-placed to talk about Soucek’s journey
The up-and-coming youngsters in the academies at Slavia look up to Soucek
but Hurych remembers when the midfielder was not viewed as one of the promising prospects
“Tomas came to us when he was 10 or 12,” he says
“There were never any issues with Tomas because he wasn’t the best player in his group
At the time he couldn’t master his movement
He was a striker and then transitioned into a midfielder
but Tomas was very dedicated and the determination he showed definitely helped him.”
During Soucek’s six-year spell at Slavia Prague
he had loan spells at Zizkov and Slovan Liberec
He improved under the tutelage of manager Jindrich Trpisovsky at all three clubs
The now Slavia Prague manager worked on Soucek’s weaknesses — which were his finishing
“Some coaches felt he would’ve been a good central defender because of his height,” he says
“But Trpisovsky was crucial in Soucek’s development
He was the first manager who took him under his wing
He was the first person who understood Soucek’s strengths
Trpisovsky likes having box-to-box midfielders and Soucek was able to thrive because his height and long legs gave him an advantage over his opponents.”
Tomas was nothing special,” says Miroslav Stoch
who was Soucek’s team-mate at Slavia Prague
so for him to turn it around and become this superstar is incredible
he looked like a completely different footballer
he became more physical and that’s when we knew the club had a special player.”
Milan Titera was one of Soucek’s coaches at Slavia Prague and he is proud of the midfielder
“I hope it inspires many young Czech players,” says Titera. “Especially those with similar characteristics like Tomas. I have a few players at Slavia who play similarly to Tomas and they always ask questions about him. I know his journey, the things he had to overcome and look how well he’s doing now. The Premier League is a top competition and not many Czech players play it regularly
So Tomas and Vladimir are an inspiration to all the young players in this country.”
They might provide inspiration already — but that will grow if they win on Wednesday inside a familiar setting
Coufal and Soucek have overcome and achieved a lot in their careers
but to win on home soil with their new football family in West Ham would be a moment they would savour for the rest of their lives
(Top photo: Oliver Hardt – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Roshane Thomas is a staff writer who covers West Ham United for The Athletic. Previously, he worked for the Sunday Times and talkSPORT. Follow Roshane on Twitter @RoshaneSport
On the outskirts of Hlučín, beside a sports bar and pizza joint, is a two-storey warehouse increasingly familiar to British criminals and police. Here, a short stroll from the rolling farmland of the eastern Czech Republic
owned by the local weapons supplier Balistas
Visitors to the business’s website can acquire weaponry from crossbows to high-spec air rifles
In May 2017 Balistas sent a consignment of Zorakis by “fast parcel” courier to an address near the A421, south of Bedford. There, in a suburban garden shed, the blank-firing guns were converted to deadly weapons and sold to underworld figures
What followed next would not only instigate urgent attempts from the Home Office to amend gun laws across Europe
but elicit concern among counterterrorism officials that such weapons could readily fall into the hands of extremists
Ballistics analysis traced them to Birmingham
a drive-by shooting at a crowded fast-food restaurant and an audacious hit at a London shopping centre would ensue
A home in Romford was sprayed with bullets
Much of the debate surrounding the UK’s rise in violent offences has concentrated on knife crime. Yet running quietly parallel to the discourse on reducing knife use
senior police officers warn that many of the metrics measuring firearms are moving the same way
Recorded firearm offences in England and Wales rose nearly a quarter to 6,375 offences last year
while the number of people shot dead increased by a fifth
Ballistics intelligence has mapped the highest number of firearm discharge incidents for five years; the number of weapons seized suggests the volume of firearms on Britain’s streets is at its highest in almost a decade
is traceable to eastern Europe and outlets like the one next door to Hlučín’s sports bar
One constant in the perpetually evolving ecosystem of crime is the gun itself
and the acquisition of a handgun that can fire rapidly is a shared ambition among violent criminals
“There’s a genuine status in the type of firearm as much as the firearm itself,” says Helen Poole
a firearms expert at Northampton University
The latest intelligence assessment estimates there are 750 organised crime groups and urban street gangs “involved with guns” in the UK
This despite the fact that the country has some of the world’s most stringent gun laws
which means it requires ingenuity to obtain potent guns
along with an eye for spotting new opportunities
Investigators tracing the guns that killed 12 people in Paris discovered they had been legally procured from a shop in Slovakia
deactivated and sold to resellers who passed them to terrorists
In July 2015 Slovakia’s government dramatically tightened its gun laws
British police say the development inadvertently created another threat
who is tracking the consignment of Zorakis in Bedford
said new firms merely sprung up in neighbouring countries such as the Czech Republic where it is legal to sell blank-firing models like the Zoraki as well as so-called Flobert guns
The latter are able to fire small 6mm rounds and can be lethal in their unmodified state
from Bedfordshire police’s serious and organised crime unit
said it was straightforward to convert a Zoraki into a deadly automatic weapon
“If you’re somewhere beyond O-level metalwork you’ll probably be able to do it in a couple of hours
Ultimately what we have are teenagers buying prohibited weapons for €100-plus
converting them into lethal barrelled weapons and then walking around the streets shooting people
“You don’t need to be wholly sophisticated to do this
This is clearly an evolution and we are constantly having to deal with the threat that these guns pose.”
On the Balistas website the UK is listed among countries eligible for shipping at €35. Several of the Zoraki guns are listed as sold out. The models imported to Bedford – which cost from €74.10 to €97.70 – are described as among the “most popular”. Dipper said they were so advanced that they effectively replace the MAC-10
the submachine gun that became notorious a decade ago
The National Crime Agency’s strategic threat assessment also suggests the Slovakian crackdown motivated east European firms to sell guns that could be “minimally converted to fire standard bullets”
noting these are “an emerging trend in the London area”
Recently it became evident that organised crime groups had spotted the loophole
Between May 2017 and May 2018 the National Crime Agency identified the use of converted-blank or Flobert weapons in 99 crimes
The issue was how to stem their popularity before more gangs caught on
police and Europol investigators assembled on the first floor of the agency’s offices in Vauxhall
It was Britain’s first “day of action” against individuals who had bought illegal guns online from companies such as Balistas
“We’ve done background checks and intelligence updates to identify 60 individuals of whom 20 are high to medium risk and may have links to organised crime,” said James Coomber
View image in fullscreenMatthew Harwozinski
bought dozens of blank-firing handguns and Ricky Garner converted them to fire live ammunition
Photograph: Jon Vale/Bedfordshire policeBy 9.45pm police had recovered 21 firearms
including 12 handguns and a submachine gun
Some were street-level drug dealers wanting a handgun for muscle
One person admitted selling on at least 12 guns
In Scotland someone bought 68 weapons and 1,500 rounds
Yet even as the mounting tally of arrests was entered into a master spreadsheet
frustration was evident over the refusal of some Czech firearm companies to release their databases of customers
A Europol source said: “We’ve got a big gap in the Czech Republic
we’re trying to put more pressure on these countries
But the fact is we don’t know how many are being sold to the UK.”
During a visit to the Czech Republic earlier this year with Interpol
Dipper learnt that companies like Balistas were distributing hundreds of packages internationally every week
it was told that hundreds of parcels had been sent to Britain with little problem
in response to questions from the Observer
Marek Děngl of the Bullet Project released a statement saying they would stop selling blank guns and Floberts to the UK
“Our main business is sporting shooting and we don’t want to damage our brand,” he said
with whom he said they “repeatedly shared” information
had also officially approached the company last Wednesday to stop exporting the controversial weapons
Dipper said they had been trying to track down Balistas’s parcels and stop them
“but they sell such a variety of stuff you can’t say every parcel is a firearm
You might open one and it’d be combat clothing”
never planned to order combat fatigues when he emailed Balistas from Bedford in April 2017
When detectives accessed his iPad and logged on to his account with the Czech outlet they saw he went straight for a shipment of Zorakis
Analysis of six months’ activity on the account showed that Harwozinski bought dozens of the blank-firing handguns and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition
converted them to fire live ammunition in his shed
Each converted firearm sold for up to £2,000 with an optional “running repairs” service
police found the barrel of a firearm that had dropped off during a shooting
In August, Harwozinski, who is British, was given a life sentence while Garner was jailed for 20 years and three months
View image in fullscreenWeapons seized by police
Photograph: Bedfordshire policeYet their modified guns remain on the streets
“We estimate there are probably two dozen outstanding,” said Dipper
Last week police located another in Bedford
was peppered with bullets that ballistics analysts traced to Harwozinski and Garner
On 18 June a Zoraki consistent with those supplied by the two men was recovered in the capital
Ten days earlier another was found in Mottingham
On 27 March bullets supplied by Garner and Harwozinski were found 170 miles away in Birmingham
a driver at Wood Green shopping centre in north London was shot
When police caught up with the victim he was carrying ammunition also linked to the Zorakis
In the preceding week guns and ammunition linked to the batch were discovered in Ilford
Days before Christmas last year shots were fired through two car windows in Tower Road
Hours later a bullet struck a McDonald’s restaurant in the same town
Weapons in both shootings were traced to Garner and Harwozinski
Although no one was injured in either incident
a subsequent shooting two months later in Romford was described by police as attempted murder
Forensics experts determined that the unique casings and bullets at the scene again matched the weapons supplied by Garner and Harwozinski
They also matched the bullets used in another shooting at the same McDonald’s in Luton weeks earlier
As police hunted down the remaining firearms
the conundrum was whether the consignment would yet prove fatal
One of security officials’ greatest fears is an MTFA – a “marauding terrorist firearms attack”
An extremist carrying an automatic weapon targets a busy space with catastrophic results
Some counterterrorism officials fear the automatic weapon in such a terrorist’s hands could turn out to be a blank-firing handgun imported from eastern Europe
by the European parliament’s special committee on terrorism
states: “The threat of firearms being used in terrorist attacks remains
also due to an increase in converted blank-firing weapons available on the illicit weapons market.”
An area of keen focus is the opaque nexus that exists between organised criminals with access to firearms and extremists
A recent Flemish Peace Institute investigation into Europe’s illegal firearms market and terrorists
using testimony from nine current and former high-ranking UK police officers
highlights the penal system as a place where criminals and extremists could discuss gun supply
One police informant envisages a scenario where “imprisoned top-level criminals converting to Islam for better food and treatment perhaps meet individuals that are radicalised and seeing business opportunities”
Last year’s Operation Dragonroot to disrupt the UK supply of illegal firearms to potential terrorists led to 642 firearms being seized and the arrest of 282 suspects
The obvious worry is that the next Harwozinski and Garner may choose not to ask too many questions when selling converted guns
“Sometimes it’s just about money,” said Dipper
who also floats the possibility that extremists may send a frontman to seal the deal
“They purport to be a drug dealer but might be the ‘legitimate’ front of a more extreme organisation
“There’s a worry about people becoming radicalised at home – but with the same keyboard they can import a handgun and
That some of Harwozinski and Garner’s ammunition washed up in the Midlands comes as no surprise: the gangland dynamics in England’s second city have become tangled of late. Traditionally Birmingham was dominated by conflict between the Burger Bar Boys and the Johnson Crew
but old loyalties have fractured with the emergence of smaller ultra-violent gangs including the Frankley Killers and the 23 Drillas
All want to outdo the others in their capacity to mete out violence
So desperate is the hunt for firearms that Detective Inspector Al Teague
head of Birmingham’s organised crime and gangs unit
says that gang members risk firing weapons that might rip off their own limbs
“We’ve seen some very crude homemade firearms that could easily take your hand off when used.” The fear is that if one gang starts cheaply converting handguns from places like Balistas
“Clearly there’s a channel to get these weapons into the country quite easily: we have seen an issue with east European weapons coming in,” says Teague
Recently Europol and the National Crime Agency
have begun putting pressure on countries such as the Czech Republic to introduce the same gun laws as those in the UK
History suggests that changes to gun regulation tend to be “event driven” in that an attack or catastrophe precipitates legislative or political action
fully briefed over the potential threat from another outlet like Balistas
This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025
The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media
Vladimír Coufal joked he will do his best to provide his teammates with intel about Bayer Leverkusen’s strong Czech contingent ahead of West Ham United’s trip to Germany in the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday
The Hammers return to the continent looking to progress to the last four of the competition for the second time in three years
and continue building on last season’s UEFA Europa Conference League triumph in Prague
One member of the Claret and Blue Army who was key to that success in his home country was indeed full-back Coufal
who is looking forward to lining up against some familiar names at the BayArena
While Adam Hložek is an injury concern for the upcoming hosts
Coufal’s compatriots Patrik Schick and Matěj Kovář could be in line to feature for Xabi Alonso’s men
who are so-far unbeaten in 41 outings during 2023/24
“They have a lot of strong players in their team
and it’s not going to be an easy match,” said Coufal
Slovan Liberec and Slavia Prague in his home country
and has won 40 caps for the Czech national side
“We’re going to do everything we can to stop them
and I’m going to give the lads some insight to help them
Adam Hložek has shown he can score from nothing
and I’ve had some banter with Matěj Kovář through text
“If we weren’t in the competition anymore I’d probably be cheering them on to win the whole thing
but we have a job to do and we’re confident we can stop them
“They’re favourites to win the Bundesliga and the German Cup
but hopefully we can make sure that two trophies is all they’re going to get this season.”
With another fellow countryman closer to home
and a range of other standout individuals alongside him in the West Ham set-up
Coufal is hopeful of helping secure a similar outcome to the last time David Moyes’ men went up against German opposition
He said: “I’m very good friends with Tomáš Souček
and in the four years or so we’ve played together at West Ham I don’t think we’ve ever really had a problem
and together we helped overcome defeat in the first leg against SC Freiburg and win 5-0 back at London Stadium
I couldn’t believe my eyes when he scored his first goal
It was like when you play on the PlayStation or Xbox
“That was the latest of many great memories in Europe over the past few years
Winning the Europa Conference League last season
and we want to keep those kinds of experiences coming.”
While the Irons look to keep going in Europe
this season has also seen a marked improvement in the Premier League
with Saturday’s win at Wolverhampton Wanderers taking them eight points above their 2022/23 total
Coufal has notched seven assists in 39 appearances in all competitions this term
and with the team's destiny largely in their own hands on all fronts he is suitably excited about the run-in to the summer break
The 31-year-old added: “We have had a bit of a problem with consistency
but I think in the last few weeks we have found a playing style we would like to maintain
and we have a lot of belief about what we can achieve
Unfortunately I haven’t managed to score for West Ham yet
“Hopefully I can score by the end of the season
and help fire the team to some more success!”
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Staff at West Ham United’s training ground have become so accustomed to seeing Vladimir Coufal turn up on his day off that they often joke he should be spending more time with his wife and kids
Behind the scenes the duo are leaving a lasting impression as to how dedicated they are when it comes to training
They have lifted the work ethic among the group according to insiders and staff describe Coufal as being an affable character who is grateful for the support he has received
This is the story of how a boy who lived in the small village of Ludgerovice in the north east of Czech Republic with a population of just under 4,900 was doubted by his early coaches at Banik Ostrava
called RoboCop by his team-mates and has now become one of the most impressive signings in West Ham’s recent history
It has been five months since the right-back joined West Ham from Slavia Prague for just over £5 million
His current deal expires in the summer of 2023
although there is the option of a further two years
with recent examples including Samir Nasri
West Ham tried to sign Coufal on loan with the option to buy but Slavia Prague wanted €8 million (£6.8 million)
with the club offering a €2 million signing-on fee for the loan and the option to pay €5 million (£4.3 million) if they avoided relegation
But Slavia Prague were reluctant to loan out one of their key players and eventually accepted a €6 million (£5.4 million) offer for a permanent deal
What convinced West Ham were the reassurances about Coufal’s character
The hierarchy at Slavia Prague told West Ham that he trains hard
is a team player and they likened him to Pablo Zabaleta
David Kuban, a youth team coach at FC Hlucin, is well placed to talk about Coufal’s journey from the humble beginnings at Banik Ostrava, where former Liverpool striker Milan Baros and ex-West Ham defender Tomas Repka started their careers
Kuban and Coufal were keen to follow in their footsteps but Kuban remembers a time when the right-back was not viewed as one of the promising prospects
I was in the under-13s and he played for the under-12s,” Kuban tells The Athletic
They wanted players who were physically strong and they thought Vladimir was weak and too small
He didn’t like the fact they doubted him and Vladimir never forgot that moment
Being rejected by Banik hurt him and he used it as motivation.”
Martin Skrehot also played for Banik Ostrava’s academy and has known Coufal since they were six
he is happy his childhood friend fulfilled his dreams despite the adversity he experienced at Banik
“He was probably one of the smallest players,” Skrehot deadpans
“But he was definitely good enough and the coaches got it wrong
That was the turning point for Vladimir and he’s had a chip on his shoulder from that day onwards
They’ll definitely have regrets over how they treated him
“He sacrificed a lot to become a footballer
Even from a young age you could tell it meant a lot to him
He was fit and even after training he would be working out
I remember one day I went to his house to see if he wanted to play outside and his father said Vladimir wants to finish his workout first
That’s when we gave Vladimir the nickname RoboCop
Coufal was 17 when he joined FC Hlucin and they were confident they could turn the defender into a promising talent
was keen to prioritise the development of young players and took Coufal under his wing
“Vladimir arrived at the club with the reputation for being an unpromising talent at Banik Ostrava
he wasn’t really given a chance and he immediately became the driving force and captain of our youth team
What really impressed me about Vladimir with his commitment and his eagerness to improve
His mother (Alena Drevjana) competed in gymnastics at the 1988 Olympics
That’s where Vladimir gets his movement from
“We actually hired his mum so we could help some of the players with their fitness
After training some of them could hardly walk
Those who witnessed Coufal transform from a boy to a man at FC Hlucin are immensely proud
They also highlight Daniel Cernaj as being a hugely important figure in his life
Cernaj previously managed the club and had no qualms about giving young players in the academy an opportunity
He was immediately drawn to Coufal’s personality and they are in regular contact
“Daniel believed in Vladimir when no one else did,” says Kuban
“He gave him the confidence to reach the next level and they’re still best friends
It’s unbelievable that he’s in the Premier League doing well for West Ham when you think about what he’s had to overcome
Daniel told Vladimir on numerous occasions that he was good enough to play in England
“The coaches loved him because he would do the most running out of all the young players
We hated the hard physical training but sometimes Vladimir wanted us to do double training sessions
His mindset was different and that’s why he improved so much
he would run from his house to the training ground
I spoke to Milan Baros and he played with Vladimir at Slovan Liberec and he said no-one worked harder than Vlad
‘Sometimes he worked too hard and I was worried he would get injured.’ But that’s how Vladimir is
After impressing in the second tier at FC Hlucin
Coufal signed for Slovan Liberec and made 118 appearances in the league during his six-year spell
He made his debut for Czech Republic in 2017 and has 12 caps so far
Kuban is asked almost on a daily basis by the youngsters at FC Hlucin how they can emulate Coufal
especially those who have been released by Banik Ostrava and are keen to follow his path to the Premier League
“It’s great for the academy at Hlucin because all the players want to be like him,” says Kuban
Players who were told they weren’t good enough for Banik but now play for Hlucin aspire to follow in Coufal’s footsteps
He’s 12 and him and his father supported West Ham before Soucek and Coufal joined them but now Sebastian can’t stop talking about them
This is the impact players like Soucek and Coufal are having on young players in Czech Republic.”
Soucek, Declan Rice and Angelo Ogbonna may be front runners for the Hammer of the Year award
but Coufal also deserves to be in the conversation
Kot is happy he was able to play a small part in Coufal’s development and while the right-back will hope he can help West Ham secure a top-four finish
the former owner of FC Hlucin believes the defender can go one better
“We’re not in contact as much as before but I’m so proud of him,” says Kot
He’s good enough to help them win a trophy
He did it at Slavia Prague so he can definitely do it at West Ham
He has shown what you can achieve with hard work
The West Ham fans love him and I hope his story inspires the next generation of players in Czech Republic.”
(Top photos: Getty Images; design: Sam Richardson)
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