West Ham United have the announced the signing of Czech Republic right-back Vladimir Coufal from Slavia Prague.
Coufal joins West Ham on a deal until the summer of 2023 with the option of a further two years.
The 28-year-old is the Hammers' second senior signing of the transfer window, following international team-mate Tomas Soucek, whose January loan, also from the Czech champions, was made permanent.
"Tomas is my very good friend and I hope he will help me here," Coufal told the club's official website. “Tomas told me on the best things, that it’s a good stadium with good fans and perfect team-mates and staff."
Starting Friday the right way! 🙌 #WelcomeCoufal pic.twitter.com/XXeW5fNzxW
— West Ham United (@WestHam) October 2, 2020
Manager David Moyes is hoping Coufal can make an immediate impact like Soucek, whose goals after joining in January helped keep West Ham up.
"He has a lot of attributes and qualities that we believe will enable him to adapt quickly to the demands of the Premier League," Moyes added.
“We need to give Vladimir some time to settle in and get used to his new surroundings but having Tomas here will help him in that sense, and we are confident that he will make a positive impact and prove to be a great addition to the squad.”
Last season Coufal made 42 appearances in all competitions, including six in the UEFA Champions League group stage, and scored three goals from defence.
He will wear the No 5 shirt and be the eighth Czech player to represent West Ham, who are next in Premier League action at leaders Leicester City on Sunday.
