West Ham United defender Vladimir Coufal is not surplus to requirements at the London Stadium, according to journalist Paul Brown.

Coufal has been linked with a move away from David Moyes' side, but Brown doubts the 30-year-old is not wanted at the Hammers after being told that he transformed their dressing room after arriving at the club.

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West Ham transfer news - Vladimir Coufal

Football Insider recently claimed that West Ham are willing to sell Coufal in the January transfer window.

As per Transfermarkt, the right-back is out of contract at the end of the summer - though the east London outfit do have the option to extend it - explaining why they would be open to a departure.

He has also not been an automatic starter this season, with Moyes having other players in his position like Thilo Kehrer and Ben Johnson.

It has seen the Czech Republic international, who is earning £52,000 a week, according to Salary Sport, named in his manager's first XI just seven times in the Premier League.

Read more: January Transfer Window 2023: When Does It Begin, Rumours and Everything You Need To Know

What has Paul Brown said about Vladimir Coufal and West Ham?

While Coufal has not been starting week in, week out for West Ham this term, Brown is confident that he is still valued by his employers.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: "I don't believe he's surplus to requirements at all because I can remember being told that when both him and [Tomas] Soucek joined the club, they kind of transformed the dressing room at West Ham with their professionalism, the way they trained and just their determination really to succeed. They set an example to a lot of the rest of the team."

Is Ben Johnson Vladimir Coufal's long-term successor?

Probably. While Kehrer has played at right-back in West Ham's last few matches, the German is a centre-back by trade.

Considering that, if you are looking at in-house options, you would expect Johnson to take over from Coufal once his Hammers career is over.

The West Ham academy graduate is 22 years of age and is progressing well at the London Stadium.

"He's a wonderful professional to deal with and work with. We're very proud to have him out of our academy system as well," former West Ham coach Stuart Pearce was quoted as saying by BBC Sport last year.

"I think he's just developing and getting better and better, and like with all young players, the more game time they have, the better they'll get, so I am delighted for the boy," he later went on to add.

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