By Sean Fisher

8th Nov, 2022 | 9:46pm

West Ham United source responds as Sky Sports spark Vladimir Coufal exit speculation

Despite reports that Vladimir Coufal could be on his way out of West Ham, Claret & Hugh insist that the club are keeping faith in the right-back.

Coufal was a huge part of David Moyes’ side last season, but the 30-year-old has endured a rough patch of form and lost his place in the starting lineup.

With Ben Johnson and Thilo Kehrer both preferred ahead of him at right-back in recent seasons, Sky Sports Deutschland reported that German outfit Bayer Leverkusen were on their way to London to broker a deal.

However, Claret & Hugh have refuted the claims, insisting that the club are keeping faith in the Czech Republic international according to their inside sources.

Their report read: “As things stand the full-back will remain at the club”. Their source said: “We have heard nothing whatsoever from any club in Germany or anywhere else.”

Time to go

Coufal has been an excellent servant for West Ham during his two years at the club. The 30-year-old had been consistently good for the Hammers up until this season when his form took a noticeable drop.

West Ham now find themselves at an awkward crossroads where they either show loyalty towards Coufal or offload him when a bid arrives.

Frankly, if the club truly want to show ambition then Coufal should be considered replaceable. He’s no longer the first choice, and he hardly adds any depth to the squad with both Kehrer and Johnson able to play on the right flank.

If a fee is offered for him, then West Ham should jump at it and look to bring in younger, exciting talent in his place.

There’s no room for loyalty in what is a highly-competitive industry. If the Hammers want to establish themselves as a major European team then they need to make ruthless decisions about the futures of players.

Coufal will always be adored by the fans at the London Stadium, but that doesn’t change that it’s the right time for him to go.