West Ham United cult hero Vladimir Coufal has made no secret of his desire to extend his Premier League career.
The task of finding a new club in England’s top flight, then, falls squarely onto the shoulders of his agent.
And while he may have traded in his curly locks for a smart, silver fox visage, Stephen Hunt remains a familiar face to those long enough in the tooth to recall his jinking runs down the wing at Reading, Wolves and Hull City.
Hunt, who played just shy of 150 top-flight games between 2006 and 2012, is now the man challenged with finding Vladimir Coufal a new adventure.
West Ham United confirmed towards the end of last season that Coufal will be leaving alongside Aaron Cresswell and Lukasz Fabianski, the London Stadium outfit bidding an emotional farewell to a trio of Conference League-winning heroes in an attempt to reduce the average age of a wrinkling, acheing squad.
Vladimir Coufal’s agent provides update into his post-West Ham United plans
In an ‘ideal’ world, Coufal would like to stay in the Premier League. The Czech Republic international could get his wish, too. Newly-promoted Leeds United have been linked.
Fulham had an approach turned down by the Hammers in January, meanwhile. The Cottagers now find themselves in the market for a right-back again as Kenny Tete closes in on a move to Everton.
Speaking to talkSPORT, the aforementioned Hunt admits that all the options available to Coufal are being carefully considered.
While his 33rd birthday is only a month away, there is still plenty of life left in a tough-tackling right-back who retains his all-action aggression and his oft-underrated technical qualities even if he is not quite as athletic as days gone by.
“You know what I’m like, I’m a pretty stubborn guy!,” says Hunt, talking as his former Republic of Ireland teammate Keith Andrews closes in on the Brentford post vacated by Thomas Frank.
“I look after Coufal at West Ham at the moment. We are just testing our options with him.
“Listen, any of the players I look after, I tend to say they are all the same. I put as much effort into a small deal as I do a big deal because I know how important it is.”
Coufal plans Premier League return after Fulham approach
Coufal’s long-time friend and teammate Tomas Soucek said it best when paying tribute to this ‘warrior’ of a footballer. A man whose burning desire to win was as fiercely demonstrated on the ping pong table at Rush Green as it was on the football pitch.
“[West Ham turning down Fulham’s approach in January was] part of football. They told me they wouldn’t let me leave and I’ve gotten over it,” a forgiving Coufal told Czech publication Idnes a few weeks back.
“I have a certain wish, but it probably won’t come true. There are preferences. It would be ideal to stay in England, that would be the priority, but there are other options. I would like Spain, where it’s warm.
“And the Czech league? I’m not talking about returning at all.
“I’ll take a vacation and then I’ll slowly prepare for the new season, [as if] I am preparing normally,” adds the former Slavia Prague defender, who was informed by Graham Potter just before the 2-0 win at Manchester United in April that his services would no longer be required.
“I would compare [leaving West Ham] to not wanting to leave the girl you love and she leaves you. That’s very unpleasant.
“But I played there for five years and I think at a decent level. I left something there. The reactions [when my exit was confirmed] were incredible. I didn’t expect that.”
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