West Ham United could be set to call time on one of their stars, as a renowned journalist gives his take…

What’s the latest?

As per Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth, the out-of-favour Vladimir Coufal could now be set to move on, having seen his chances dwindle at the London Stadium.

This comes after journalist Marlon Irlbacher noted that the full-back had undergone “positive talks” with German club Bayer Leverkusen.

Sheth then said to GIVEMESPORT:

“If you look at the stats, seven Premier League starts this season, the likes of Ben Johnson have started ahead of him at right-back, but I think more significantly, when Nayef Aguerd was injured at centre-back in pre-season, West Ham United brought in Thilo Kehrer.

“I think he was predominantly brought in as a central defender, but what has transpired is he’s ended up playing right-back. If that’s not a message to Vladimir Coufal that he’s not part of the plans, I don’t know what is.”

Must cash in

Having entered into the third season of his £35k-per-week deal in east London, it seems that he has overrun his expiry date in David Moyes’ eyes.

Despite having played 87 times for the Hammers, this season has seen him feature less and less, with the bulk of his consistent play time coming with the youngsters in their Europa Conference League matches.

He has completed 90 minutes just six times in the Premier League, and with no goal contributions across all competitions this summer, he truly has disappointed.

It seems like the Czech Republic international has really regressed in recent years, especially since his seven-assist debut campaign.

Perhaps given his age, the 30-year-old has finally seen time catch up with him - no longer can he offer the dynamism he was lauded for, and with that, he has also been more prone to mistakes.

Journalist Alan Rzepa even claimed that he had "been shocking since coming back” at the back end of last year.

As Sheth said, the likes of Johnson and Kehrer being preferred over him is a damning assessment of his new role within the squad.

Perhaps he might make the decision himself to exit east London, having left a fine legacy during his short stay. Moyes could also seek to cash in with the interested parties, shipping off a man who no longer seems to be in his plans.