At least, before Vladimir Coufal said goodbye to West Ham United and his close friend Tomas Soucek, the two Czech Republic internationals achieved something they had always hoped to achieve on the Premier League stage.
The Hammers had not beaten Manchester United on their hallowed Old Trafford turf since that iconic Carlos Tevez winner 18 years previously.
Even in a miserable post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, a long-awaited Red Devils victory remained elusive. Even through the ill-fated David Moyes era, and the lowest days of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Jose Mourinho, or Erik ten Hag.
But, for the first time since Tevez saved Alan Curbishley’s Hammers from relegation on the final day of the 2006/07 season, the visitors from London returned to the capital with all three points in their back pockets.
Vladimir Coufal was informed of his impending exit by Graham Potter just before West Ham United secured a long-awaited 2-0 victory over Man United back in May.
The long-serving right-back was clearly not pleased with the sudden nature of his departure – left in the dark until the bad news was sprung upon him – but at least it gave Coufal and Tomas Soucek enough time tick one shared ambition off their respective bucket lists.
Vladimir Coufal explains how Tomas Soucek reacted to his West Ham United exit
Coufal hit out at Potter and Kyle Macaulay, the club’s recently-departed head of recruitment, in an interview with The Athletic, on Friday.
He understandably wishes he had been given more time to prepare for his departure, after five years of loyal, consistent service in the English capital. Coufal was even denied a move to Fulham last January, only to find out four months later that West Ham had no intention of extending his contract.
A ‘strange decision’, the now-Hoffenheim right-back felt.
But now that the dust has settled, and now that Potter and Macaulay are gone, Coufal can at least reflect fondly on the successes he and Soucek enjoyed together in claret and blue.
“After I received the news from Potter, I went to the sauna with Tomas, and he asked me what happened,” Coufal says. “I said, ‘I’m leaving, bro’. He couldn’t believe it.
“But we made a promise to win the next game. Me and Tomas always wanted to win at Old Trafford, and we did it.”
During five years together – Soucek and Coufal both joined from Slavia Prague in 2020 – the two Czech chums won the UEFA Conference League, reached a Europa League semi-final, and picked up big wins over the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and of course Manchester United.
That 2-0 victory over Man United was not the only 18-year streak snapped by Tomas Soucek, meanwhile.
Coufal defends Soucek as West Ham veteran bounces back under Nuno Espirito Santo
Soucek has equalled ex-Liverpool ace Patrik Berger as the most prolific Czech footballer ever to play in the Premier League. He will take the record for his himself, too, if he scores a 39th goal in the competition against Arne Slot’s crisis-hit side on Sunday.
Coufal hit out at the criticism aimed towards Soucek following West Ham’s worst start to a season in 52 years. With big goals off the bench against Newcastle and Burnley since then – Nuno Espirito Santo is a huge fan of a midfielder boasting the predatory instincts of a seasoned centre-forward – those who questioned Soucek’s longevity will still have the bitter taste of humble pie in their mouths.
“[Defending Soucek from criticism] is something I always wanted to do when I was at the club, but I always talked myself out of it,” Coufal said, his patience finally snapping after that loss to Leeds in October.
“Now I have no issues with arguing with fans on Twitter, because they should appreciate the players. The right fans know the players care and want to do well, but then you get some stupid fans on Twitter who try to bring negativity all the time.
“Then you get those who are sheep and let those opinions form their judgment.
“It was important to say something because Tomas doesn’t deserve that criticism. Sometimes he will have good and bad games but you can’t deny how much he will fight for that club. Me and Tomas used to go to training on our days off. We always tried our best to help the team. After the final whistle went against Fiorentina, I ran straight to Tomas. Me and him really got the club, the people and how important it was to win.”
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