West Ham United boss David Moyes has told the club’s official website his decision to sign Vladimir Coufal came after a fellow Czech recommended him.
The Irons signed the international for £5.4 million from Slavia Prague last week (BBC). Coufal played the full 90 minutes at Leicester City on Sunday, helping his new side win 3-0.
Moyes was delighted by Coufal’s debut performance.
Soucek recommended Coufal to Moyes
He said: “I thought Vladimír was brilliant (against Leicester City), to come in having played in Denmark in midweek.
“I was watching his Champions League results and everything going on and was saying ‘I hope he comes through with no injuries’ because we had agreed to get him.
“The biggest thing about him is his experience, his knowledge. That was the reason we thought he would be helpful for us at this time. We saw someone who had played in a lot of big games – Champions League games – and who plays for his country.
“He also came really highly recommended from Tomas (Soucek) so that helped us make our minds up.”
Soucek’s influence has grown at West Ham since joining on loan in January. His performances made it an easy decision for the Irons to make the deal permanent for £19.1 million in July (BBC).
The 25-year-old has now helped West Ham further by recommending a new right-back and, if Coufal’s debut is anything to go by, the Irons have another quality Czech.
Coufal made three tackles, three interceptions, three clearances and was dribbled past just once in the entire Leicester game (SofaScore).
More time with the squad will see the Czech international fare even better, and Soucek might deserve a raise for his recommendation.
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