31.08.2021 22:21 h

Czech midfielder Kral joins West Ham

Czech midfielder Alex Kral joined West Ham from Spartak Moscow on a season-long loan with an option to buy on Tuesday, the clubs announced.

The 23-year-old defensive midfielder will join former Slavia Prague and current Czech Republic teammates Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal at West Ham.

"Welcome in West Ham family bro @alexkralcz," tweeted Coufal.

West Ham said later they were "delighted" to announce Kral's arrival.

"He will provide good competition in the centre of midfield," West Ham manager David Moyes told the club's website.

"He is another young, talented player who we feel has a big potential and will be capable of adapting to the demands of the Premier League."

"We've brought him in on loan initially and, hopefully, over the course of the season he will make a valuable contribution, particularly with our busier schedule of fixtures," Moyes added.

West Ham finished sixth in the Premier League last season to qualify for the Europa League.

"Alex is another established international player with the Czech Republic, and we hope he has similar characteristics and hunger to that of Tomas and Vladimir," said Moyes.

Born in the eastern Slovak city of Kosice, Kral has scored two goals in 22 games for the Czech Republic national team, with whom he reached the Euro 2020 quarter-finals.