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Full back Vladimir Coufal says the prospect of relegation from the Premier League is unthinkable.

The Czech defender is well into his third year in England following a £5.5million from Slavia Prague in October 2020. And speaking in an exclusive interview with sport.cz, the 30-year-old admitted that he is perplexed as to how West Ham find themselves in such a difficult position with less than two months of the season to go.




"I don't even want to think about it, I don't know," he said when asked if the worst happened and West Ham were relegated from the top flight.

"We don't think about it at all, so we can't even imagine such a situation. We just have to save ourselves and we want to succeed in the Conference League.

"If you can complete a three win streak, which is very difficult in England, you are out of it [immediate trouble]. So we are not losing faith, there is no reason."

And when asked to explain why the club were in such a perilous position, Coufal admitted he was perplexed as to why that was the case.

"I can't understand it," he said. "Maybe the summer transfer window didn't suit us, when a lot of new players arrived and we need time. We had a certain style that now has to be dug up and probably everything hasn't fit yet.

"But I'm definitely not saying that it's only the newcomers' fault. Additionally we stopped scoring goals and conceded a lot from our own mistakes. However no one admits that we should not manage the season."

Coufal revealed that he has additional incentive to help West Ham escape from trouble, as his family were now fully settled in England. It will be three years [for me soon] and I don't think anything can take me off guard," he said.

"My wife and I feel much better now, after lockdown ended our family started visiting us. We even got used to moving every year, which doesn't seem normal to me, but my wife enjoys it, so at least someone does. We'll be fine for a few years, but probably not [to stay] permanently."

And when asked for his thoughts on manager David Moyes' approach, which has come in for some heavy criticism from fans and commentators alike in recent months, Coufal said: "He's a pragmatist. The end justifies the means.




"I have probably never seen such an orthodox pragmatist, when he gives results at the expense of everything - maybe sometimes even the game. There is a lot of pressure on him, and he is putting pressure on us as well."

You may read the full interview with Coufal, in which he also discusses his role with the Czech national team here.

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