Vladimír Coufal was stunned by West Ham’s decision to block a move to a Premier League rival – before sacking him six months later.
The 33-year-old played over 150 games for the Hammers and won the Europa Conference League before leaving in the summer.
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Czech international defender Coufal emerged as the clear favorite during his five years in east London following his arrival in 2020.
In January last year, the full-back, signed for £5.4million from Slavia Prague, was the subject of several deadline deal day offers from Fulham.
The Hammers rejected their London rivals’ offers for the defender, who was then told less than three months later that his contract would not be renewed, The Pitch Prospect exclusively revealed.
To add insult to injury, Coufal was keen to play in England as his son Niclas had signed for West Ham Academy.
Coufal discusses failed Fulham transfer
Addressing the Cottagers’ proposed move, he told The Pitch Prospect Breakfast exclusively: “It’s part of football, you know.”
“Some decisions don’t make sense to you. For example, don’t let me go to Fulham.”
“Of course I could stay in London with my family and everything. If I stay in the Premier League they could still get decent money for me.”
“Six months before my contract expired, they decided they wouldn’t let me leave without a reward. And then, two or three months later, they told me they wouldn’t be renewing my contract.”
“So it was the decision that I didn’t make. But yeah, it’s a part of life, a part of football. Football brings some strange decisions, strange decisions. But you have to deal with it and still keep pushing and be positive.”
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Coufal is “disappointed” by his departure from West Ham.
Coufal was a regular in his first four seasons at the club and was taken over by Aaron Wan-Bissaka under Graham Potter last season.
As TalkSPORT’s chief football correspondent Alex Crook revealed, Potter, who was released by West Ham in September, had his sights set on a new, more dynamic right-back and ended up signing Kyle Walker-Peters on a free transfer from Southampton.
However, Coufal claimed he still believes he could have added something to his old club, who are five points behind safety.
“It was really difficult for me,” he added. “I’m still not over this decision. I still feel a little bit, not cheated, but disappointed.”
“Because I still think I could bring something to West Ham. And of course it was a really, really hard decision for my family and for everyone. I’ve said it many times. And yes, very, very difficult.”
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Coufal’s departure from West Ham had a domino effect on his son, who is now back in the family homeland at Slavia Prague’s youth academy.
Coufal spoke to The Pitch Prospect about the upheaval that came with leaving London: “For example, if I was just with my wife I would say to her: ‘Okay, they’ve made a decision’. We’re disappointed because we love the city, we love the club and everything.”
“But with the kids it’s a lot harder. They’ve made friends and everything.”
“And especially for my son, he’s just signed with West Ham Academy. And he’s worked really, really hard.”
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“Every day we were out for individual coaches, athletic trainers and everything else, so I know how hard he worked to get signed at West Ham.”
“And suddenly, when he signed, he had a big ceremony. And I announced to him, ‘We’re leaving in three weeks.’ It was unbelievable to him how disappointed he was.
“He didn’t speak to me, so it was difficult for me to explain to him why… It’s not entirely my fault that I want to leave, but it’s just part of football.”
“And I think what he experienced at such a young age will help him in the future.”
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Coufal about new club Hoffenheim
The West Ham legend is now away from his family in Germany, where he is becoming an instant success with top team Hoffenheim.
Coufal scored one goal and provided three assists in 17 Bundesliga appearances, giving his new team third place in the table.
When asked by breakfast presenter Ally McCoist if his form had already helped his son forgive him, he replied: “I hope so. I hope so.”
“Now, for example, we were in London for a winter break after Christmas and when we went to a game against Fulham, when they started playing the bubbles at the start of the game, he cried.”
“He was crying… It was difficult. But yeah, hopefully he’ll forgive me.”