Much has been made of the experience West Ham United lost when so many experienced campaigners left the London Stadium last summer. A point even Vladimir Coufal himself made last week.
When Michail Antonio, Lukasz Fabianski, Kurt Zouma, Danny Ings, Aaron Cresswell and the veteran right-back all departed upon the expiry of their contracts, the Hammers lost six players who had played over 1,200 games for the club across 20-plus years of service.
And although Graham Potter welcomed Fabianski back on a short-term deal a few months later, the common consensus is that West Ham United’s worst start in 52 years owed much to that exodus of experience.
Of the eleven players who started in August’s 5-1 battering by Chelsea, for example, only four were at the club during the Conference League success of 2023. No wonder former goalkeeper Rob Green was worried, wishing that a younger, far-less ‘proven’ squad of players had a few old heads to look up to.
Yet, Vladimir Coufal is more than a font of footballing knowledge. There is quality there, creativity too, amongst the character.
Hoffenheim, chasing a Champions League spot over in Germany, are most certainly benefitting from the 33-year-old’s ‘quality’ and ‘creativity’ from the right-hand side. Not to mention the eternal dependability that has seen Coufal crowned Hoffenheim’s ‘Mr Reliable’.
West Ham United cult hero Vladimir Coufal is producing great stats in the Bundesliga
Plenty of column inches have been dedicated already to his impact at the Bundesliga high-flyers. That Hoffenheim move was an ‘absolute masterstroke’, according to Sinsheim-based publication SWR for instance.
One aspect of Coufal’s game that was often overlooked in England, though, was his crossing ability.
Since the beginning of the 2023/24 campaign, only Jarrod Bowen, Mohammed Kudus and set-piece taker James Ward-Prowse have managed more Premier League assists than Coufal’s seven. Quite the feat, given that he only started 11 games last season and left in the summer.
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He also ranks fourth – ahead of Kudus but behind Lucas Paqueta – with 64 chances created in that time.
OK, Aaron Wan-Bissaka did register a career-high five assists in 2024/25, after taking Coufal’s spot on the flank. However, with only five chances created this term, last season’s attacking output may prove to be an outlier for the reigning Hammer of the Year.
In contrast, Coufal has created three times as many chances as Wan-Bissaka. Seventeen to five.
And though he would not add to his tally of four assists in 12 Bundesliga appearances, the evergreen Czech Republic international was the driving force behind Hoffenheim’s second and third goals during the 3-0 weekend trouncing of FC Augsburg.
Coufal created two more goals for Champions League-chasing Hoffenheim
A stylish angled pass into the penalty area helped Christian Ilzer’s side double their lead. A wicked delivery from the right then forced a calamitous Hoffenheim own goal.
Age really is just a number. And while some will argue that the Bundesliga cannot light a candle to the quality of the Premier League, the German top-flight does not lack in end-to-end intensity.
“He’s incredibly willing to run. There’s no question about his age,” Ilzer told Kicker recently, the head coach pointing out that Hoffenheim are benefitting ‘enormously’ at both ends of the field from Coufal’s arrival.
“He’s in top shape and highly professional in everything he does.
“Vlad does an excellent job of resolving difficult situations, controlling difficult balls, and making the right decisions. Defending in the last line and attacking in the first line is not an easy position, both tactically and physically. He does it truly flawlessly.”
Across Europe’s top five leagues, Coufal ranks joint-sixth when it comes to chances created by full-backs. That puts him alongside such company as Jurrien Timber [Arsenal], Federico Dimarco [Inter Milan], and Bayer Leverkusen’s free-kick king Alejandro Grimaldo.
West Ham’s own El Hadji Malick Diouf was the first to record three assists in 2025/26. He has now been overtaken by a man thirteen years his senior.
A man he could have been turning to for invaluable nuggets of advice, had West Ham shown the same belief as Hoffenheim did in Coufal’s longevity.
Coufal felt Graham Potter made a big mistake at West Ham last summer
Close confidante and long-time teammate Tomas Soucek ‘could not believe it’ when Potter told Coufal his contract would not be renewed. With Hoffenheim now level with Leverkusen in the Champions League race and West Ham loitering towards the bottom of the Premier League, the former’s loss is most certainly the latter’s gain.
“I’d be lying if I said I was surprised when I found out Potter had been sacked,” Coufal told The Athletic recently. “It was coming with the results not being good, the football not being great, and the club being in the relegation zone.
“What West Ham miss are characters like Mark [Noble] and Declan [Rice]. Their leadership was important to the changing room, and other players like Aaron, Micky and Angelo [Ogbonna, who departed in 2024] had a huge influence in the changing room.
‘They were the old guns.”
“Jarrod [Bowen] is a great leader and the club would be in an even bigger mess without him,” adds the 2023 Conference League champion. “But it’s difficult to lead the team as an offensive player.
“Noble and Rice were midfielders and could see everything. If Jarrod wants to shout at someone, he could be on the other side of the pitch, which makes it harder. Noble and Rice were in the middle, so there was no hiding from them.
“Noble and Rice used to call team meetings if we were in tough moments. If Noble said something in the changing room, you kept quiet and listened. No one would dare say anything out of respect for him.
“Rice learned from Noble and became a great captain as a result
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