West Ham United defender Vladimir Coufal could be set for a rather tough time at the club following claims surrounding fellow defender Ben Johnson.
Having come to the club in the summer window of 2020, the 29-year-old Czech international has managed to establish himself as an important part of the Hammers side, making a total of 62 appearances, including 34 appearances in the Premier League during his debut season.
However, a claim that has emerged surrounding Johnson at the London Stadium could well have a major impact in his future in the claret and blue.
What’s the story?
According to a claim from transfer insider Dean Jones who was speaking in an interview with GiveMeSport, West Ham United are looking to tie down 22-year-old Johnson to a new deal, this despite triggering an extension to his deal very recently.
Jones claims that “They tried to sign him on a long term contract, which wasn’t done, but they triggered this extension and from what I understand, West Ham want to get him to sign fresh terms within the next six months or so if they can.”
Johnson has been fighting it out with Coufal for a place in the team this season, making 27 appearances in total, 14 of which have been at right-back, with Coufal making 22 of his 24 appearances at right-back.
How does this impact Coufal moving forward?
If West Ham United are looking to tie down Johnson to a longer-term deal, that kind of indicates that the club have some faith in him and want him to be at the club for the foreseeable future, which could mean that Coufal’s place in the side in the long-run could very well be in jeopardy.
At the age of 29, he does still have a few years left in him, but West Ham might want to start looking more for the next ten years rather than just the next five, with Johnson becoming the more-prominent defender ahead of Coufal.
Either that, or with his contract set to expire in the summer of 2023, it could well be a case that this summer could be the perfect time for the club to sell him on and make Johnson the main right-back full-stop.
TIF Verdict…
Who is the better player?
Coufal
Johnson
It does seem like a natural progression for someone like Johnson to take a bigger part in the Hammers side, having slowly been making moves to become a more prominent member of the first team, and as a result it probably means that Coufal, who is valued at £10.8 million (as per Transfermarkt), is going to have to be sacrificed in order to make way.
And if they can also use this transition to sell him on in order to address a couple of other areas at the club, such as additional centre-forwards or central defenders, then it seems like the obvious move to make to move him on whilst they still have the chance.
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