Nils Koppen arrived at West Ham United this Saturday afternoon; the new Director of Player Recruitment bringing his sizeable contact book, his reams of data, and his reputation for ‘outside of the box’ thinking with him to East London.
After the Belgian helped lay the foundations for PSV’s Eredivisie domination – three successive titles for the first time since 2008 – Koppen moved to Ibrox and earned the respect of Rangers fans between January 2024 and July 2025.
The same Rangers fans who now believe that – by hiring the man who brought Hamza Igamane to Scotland for £1.7 million – West Ham United are onto a good thing.
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Koppen prides himself upon a ‘creative’ approach, as well as looking further afield for bargain buys ignored or overlooked by his peers. Take Igamane, for instance.
A little-known youngster brought in from Moroccan football. One year and 16 goals later, he was sold to Lille for a profit in the region of £10 million.
Igamane is unlikely to follow Koppen to the capital this summer. Lille would want big money, and the striker hasn’t featured since rupturing his ACL in December.
There are, though, some other familiar faces he may turn to as Koppen talks about ‘identifying the correct players to move us forward’ and bring Premier League football back to East London.
Which former Nils Koppen players could West Ham United have a look at?
Mohamed Diomande – Rangers
While this wasn’t quite as left-field as the Igamane deal, an Ivorian midfielder from Danish outfit Nordsjaelland felt very, well, Koppen-esque.
The Rangers number ten was signed for £4.3 million a couple of summer’s back. And, while his time north of the border has been a somewhat mixed bag, there is a lot to like about 24-year-old Diomande.
Diomande has been labelled ‘a clone’ of Manchester City legend Yaya Toure. At his best, he possesses the ability to accelerate away from his markers while storming through the thirds. And while a naturally creative player with a solid shot from distance, Diomande also doesn’t shy away from doing the dirty work in the centre of the park.
Koppen, when driving the deal which took him to Glasgow, talked glowingly about Diomande’s ‘high level of athleticism, creative play and strong defensive work’.
West Ham need an all-action midfielder after Mateus Fernandes’ exit. And because Diomande’s development at Rangers has stalled a little in 2026, he could be available for a relatively low fee.
Jefte – Palmeiras
Back in 2024, Koppen mentioned the signing of Jefte as a prime example of his recruitment strategy. The director plucked a 20-year-old Brazilian left-back from Cyprus for just £600,000. After just one year in Glasgow, he joined Palmieras in a deal worth £4 million.
Now, Jefte has more rough edges than a teenager’s first project in woodwork class. But, like with Diomande, the raw ingredients could still be formed into a pretty tasty meal.
El Hadji Malick Diouf could leave West Ham, even if Manchester United have cooled their interest of late. In that case, the highly-energetic Jefte may be someone Koppen looks to work with again.
The Rio-born 22-year-old became a cult hero among some sections of the Gers support due to his fierce determination and his refusal to give up on lost causes. Then-coach Philippe Clement admired his versatility, calling Jefte a ‘very talented player’ with ‘the right mentality to fight for the team’.
“He is quick, physically strong, and very good in an attacking sense,” Brazilian former Livingston boss Marcio Maximo told The Sun when Jefte was briefly linked to Chelsea in 2025.
“There are still aspects of his game he has to improve, but he is tall and has the pace to be a full-back at a very high level.
Joey Veerman – PSV Eindhoven
This week, West Ham missed out on a deal for ex-Sunderland captain Dan Neil. Ironically, to Rangers.
What we can glean from their interest in the Ibrox newbie, though, is that the club want a deep-lying playmaker who can control the tempo from the base of the midfield with an impressive range of passing. West Ham arguably haven’t replaced Mark Noble since his retirement in 2022 – at least, tactically – and Neil felt like a good option to do exactly that.
An alternative – depending on how much the Hammers are willing to spend – may be Joey Veerman.
The PSV playmaker reportedly has a £20 million release clause in his contract. And after missing out on a spot in Ronald Koeman’s World Cup squad, Veerman may feel that a fresh start in England would have the effect of raising his profile.
At the age of 27, the former Heerenveen ace is approaching his peak. He averages 13 assists a season at PSV, while Dutch icon Rafael van der Vaart at one point felt compelled to ask; “Is there a better passer than him in Europe?”
“I have always compared Veerman with Andrea Pirlo. These are the matches to prove again that he is the big man with the ball.”
Nils Koppen helped build PSV’s title-winning squad! What do you want from him at West Ham?
Pierre van Hooijdonk felt that Real Madrid great Toni Kroos was a better comparison.
Either way, that Veerman has been mentioned in the same breath as Pirlo and Kroos is testament to his pinpoint accuracy in possession, not to mention his wicked set-pieces and trademark curling shots from outside of the box.
According to Bloomberg, Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky will inject £100m into West Ham in order to fund a Koppen-led rebuild. Veerman would not be an easy signing, or a cheap one. But for a side lacking a controller at the heart of their team, someone who can open up the sort of low block Nuno is bound to come up against a lot next term, Veerman could be worth every penny of that £20 million fee.
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