Dysfunction at West Ham is nothing new. The frustration, though, is that bringing in a technical director was supposed to improve recruitment. Expectations were high when Tim Steidten was appointed shortly after West Ham’s triumph in the Europa Conference League final in June 2023.
Soon it was common to see triumphant images of a beaming Steidten sitting on a private jet with expensive new signings, a trend that would earn the apparent recruitment guru much acclaim on social media, where large accounts were more than happy to talk up the German’s work. Why such behaviour was necessary, though, was never entirely clear. Ultimately, the work speaks for itself and, as West Ham have found during a disastrous start to the season, nothing delivers a verdict on transfer business more eloquently than results.
This is not a case of telling fans to be careful what they wish for after the departure of David Moyes last summer. It was time for Moyes to go, but his exit immediately shifted the spotlight on to Steidten. It was no secret they did not see eye to eye on signings. Trust quickly deteriorated and Moyes ended up banning Steidten from the first-team dressing room at the end of last season.
It was something of a futile move. Moyes still ended up leaving, Julen Lopetegui replacing him, and a major renovation of the squad was on the cards. Steidten, who had added his brother, Moritz, to a growing recruitment team, had it sorted. He was at Bayer Leverkusen before West Ham, leaving his role as chief scout in March 2023, and had also worked at Werder Bremen. No matter that some sources had questioned the level of Steidten’s influence at Leverkusen, who romped to the Bundesliga title last season; the view was that West Ham were on to a winner.
Eight league games into the new campaign, though, it is hard to comprehend what they have done to themselves. They began the summer by signing Maximilian Kilman, a centre-back, known to Lopetegui from his time at Wolves, for an inflated £40m. They went after a striker, which was a must given Michail Antonio and Danny Ings are the wrong side of 30. Lille’s Jonathan David was targeted, only to prove too expensive, and so began a pursuit of Aston Villa’s Jhon Durán.
It was not to be, West Ham refusing to meet the asking price. Instead of pushing for the 20-year-old Colombian, who has scored seven goals this season, Steidten looked at the familiar Bundesliga market and signed the 31-year-old Niclas Füllkrug from Borussia Dortmund for £27.5m. Füllkrug is yet to score, has no resale value, lacks pace and has been out since August with an achilles injury, meaning West Ham will still be reliant on Antonio when they host Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.
It is a ridiculous situation, rivalled only by the state of a cumbersome midfield. Is it news to West Ham that the Premier League is the most intense competition in the world? There were obvious shortcomings last season, with Tomas Soucek increasingly leaden, James Ward-Prowse (a Moyes pick) lacking dynamism and Edson Álvarez a yellow-card magnet after his arrival from Ajax, but nothing was done about it. Guido Rodríguez, a free transfer from Real Betis, had to be taken off during the first half of last month’s 3-0 defeat by Chelsea and was overwhelmed alongside Soucek during last Saturday’s humiliation at Tottenham.
Lopetegui’s request for Rodríguez should have gone unheeded. There is plenty of blame to go around. The manager also pushed for Carlos Soler, who was in Paris Saint-Germain’s reserves before arriving on loan, but it is yet to become evident why the Spaniard has been deemed a better fit than Ward-Prowse, who did at least offer goals and dangerous set-pieces before heading to Nottingham Forest.
The mistakes are endless. Lopetegui had Álvarez man-marking the rapid Nicolas Jackson against Chelsea. Aaron Wan‑Bissaka, signed from United, has often been found anywhere but at right-back. Steidten spent £25m on the potential of Luis Guilherme, an 18-year-old Brazilian winger, while glaring gaps remained unfilled. Buying Konstantinos Mavropanos from VfB Stuttgart for £19m was a bad call.
It is not a surprise that the Greece defender has lost his place to Jean-Clair Todibo, who has joined on an initial loan from Nice. Todibo is undoubtedly a talent. West Ham are still shipping goals at an alarming rate, though, and it is worth pointing out that the France international would have joined Juventus if they could have afforded him.
This is not a happy club at the moment. There is no identity under Lopetegui and Mohammed Kudus lost his head to earn a red card against Spurs. Kudus is not in a good place. He had an angry exchange with Lopetegui after his half-time substitution against Brentford.
Lopetegui will need Crysencio Summerville, who has been given few opportunities since joining from Leeds, to seize his opportunity in the absence of Kudus. This is a chance for the 22-year-old, one of the best attackers in the Championship last season, although others must also step up. Lopetegui, under growing pressure before a tricky run, is said to harbour concerns over his squad’s attitude. Lucas Paquetá, who has been charged with a breach of betting regulations (he denies wrongdoing), looks unfocused.
So much has to change and the question is whether Lopetegui can inspire. There is alarm at board level. There is a sense that a buck-passing operation is under way. Steidten was involved in bringing Lopetegui to David Sullivan, West Ham’s biggest shareholder, but it is interesting that reports in Germany have suggested the former Dortmund manager Edin Terzic is being lined up if results do not improve.
While the strength of that link has been downplayed, it adds to the sense of instability. Steidten won his battle with Moyes. He has been backed and given power. Excuses run thin. After overseeing a spend of more than £100m, Steidten cannot have any complaints if questions are not only being asked about Lopetegui’s job security.
