West Ham complete Vladimir Coufal deal

West Ham have today announced a deal to sign Czech Republic international Vladimir Coufal from Slavia Prague. The defender, who has caught the eye in his home country with a number of solid defensive displays, had also been monitored by Italian side AS Roma, but instead opted to move to England in a transfer deal worth £5.4 million.

Hammers have been keen to bring in new faces and bolster their defence after an indifferent start to the Premier League season, and it is seen that the Ostrava-born 28-year-old Coufal could add sufficient strength to the club's struggling defence with a difficult looking period ahead of them in the league. David Moyes apparently has been tracking Coufal for over 9 months.

Coufal has 8 caps for his country and has previously played for Slovan Liberec and Hlucin, with a loan transfer to minnows Opava sandwiched in between.

The player has signed a three year contract with the Hammers and will not be available for this weekend's game against Leicester City away from home.