West Ham defender Vladimir Coufal has admitted his discontent at the club this season.

The Czech international has seen his first team opportunities somewhat suffer since the arrival of Head Coach Julen Lopetegui in the summer, who tends to opt for summer signing Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the right-wing-back position this season so far.

It’s been a struggle for all connected thus far this campaign, with pressure significantly building on Lopetegui, with talk that he could be well in his final days at the helm already in east London.

Coufal though is defiant and says he is ready to fight for his place as the turmoil of this season continues without much reason for optimism at this stage.

“It’s been a bit different for me this year, and I have to fight even more, but I am not giving up,” Coufal told the clubs Official Website.

“I have to fight for my spot, but I have always been and always will be a fighter and won’t give up my position without a challenge.

“I’ve played five games this season in the Premier League, and after being on the bench for six games, getting back on the pitch against Everton before the break was very positive for me, and I was very excited to show something.”

West Ham head to St James Park on Monday night, in what is a huge game for the club and Lopetegui in particular, as Coufal admits they are aware of the task ahead.

“We’re all expecting a tough game at Newcastle, especially under the lights at St James’ Park,” added the Czech international. “They [Newcastle United] will press us very high up the pitch and will play very demanding football as they’re a good side, have a very good manager and have a very vocal fanbase. I enjoy visiting their stadium, and it’s a great place to play football.

“I hope we are able to show something because we need to finally step up and get some good results. We’re looking to start picking up some points. Hopefully we can get a positive result from our trip to Newcastle.

“I remember our win there on the opening day of the 2021/22 season and it being a crazy game. We were behind twice but scored three times in the second half to win 4-2. It was the first game of the season, which was a perfect start for us, and hopefully we can repeat something like that on Monday.”