West Ham United appear to be slamming their foot onto the accelerator as their pursuit of a new director of football goes from nought to sixty; Newcastle’s head of recruitment Steve Nickson seemingly London Stadium-bound.
Even before his sudden departure last week, West Ham had planned to reduce David Sullivan’s influence in the transfer department.
That the former chairman and his trusted cabal of agents had such control over recruitment has long been a source of much frustration, especially as smaller, better-run, 21st century clubs such as Bournemouth, Brentford and Brighton leave the Hammers for dead.
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Now, after they showed an interest in Middlesbrough’s Kieran Scott, West Ham United have pirouetted towards another north east-based director.
According to Teamtalk, Steve Nickson is set to leave Newcastle for West Ham.
The report adds that Nickson, who is leaving Tyneside after 15 years at St James’ Park, is admired by the Hammers for his ‘extensive recruitment expertise, vast network of contacts, and proven track record in talent identification’.
And when sifting through some of his most impressive signings during that decade-and-a-half at Newcastle, the likes of Alexander Isak, Bruno Guimaraes, Kieran Trippier and Sandro Tonali leap off the page.
Newcastle chief Steve Nickson is an exciting addition to West Ham United
Following the Saudi takeover of 2021, Nickson played a major role in putting together a squad which not only secured a place in the Champions League, but also ended a 56-year trophy drought following that Carabao Cup victory over Liverpool.
In addition to Guimaraes, Trippier, Tonali and Wembley hero Isak – whose arrivals transformed Newcastle from perennial underachievers to top-four challengers – Nickson also helped bring in Anthony Gordon, Harvey Barnes, Sven Botman, Tino Livramento and Joelinton.
Interestingly, of those nine players, only Barnes and Trippier were over the age of 24 when they joined.
West Ham reportedly admire Nickson’s ‘proven track record’ when identifying young, up-and-coming talent. Though he will have a very different sort of budget to work with in East London, plucking Guimaraes, Isak, Joelinton and Botman out of B or even C-list European clubs – Lyon, Real Sociedad, Hoffenheim and Lille – speaks to a willingness to look further afield and think outside the box.
“Fortunately, we have an amazing head of recruitment in Steve Nickson,” Amanda Staveley, who helped spearhead that takeover, said at the time. “[Nickson] has been with the club for a long time and has a really deep knowledge of the player markets.”
Nickson turned Newcastle into a Champions League side
Even before the oil money flooded in, Nickson brought Ayoze Perez, Miguel Almiron, Allan Saint-Maximin and, yes, Callum Wilson to St James’ while operating as part of Mike Ashley’s shoestring regime.
According to Steve Bruce, the former Magpies boss speaking on Sam Allardyce’s ‘No Tippy Tappy Football‘ podcast, Nickson told the club to sign Moises Caicedo for just £4.5 million long before he became a household name.
Ebere Eze and Michael Olise, now of Arsenal and Bayern Munich, were also in Nickson’s sights around that time.
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“Steve Nickson may have operated in the shadows, but the departing head of recruitment’s legacy at Newcastle United is undoubted,” writes Newcastle reporter Ciaran Kelly for BBC Sport.
“It was rather telling that Nickson was one of the few senior figures to stay on after the club’s subsequent takeover.”
Kelly points out that Nickson made long trips to hold face-to-face talks with the likes of Guimaraes, Tonali and Isak. He also boasted an impressive penchant for convincing top targets to reject more settled, established ‘projects’, even if Newcastle spent most of his final summer on Tyneside failing in pursuit of Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and co.
The reaction from a frustrated Newcastle faithful speaks volumes. While Sullivan’s involvement in the recruitment department left an extremely sour taste in West Ham mouths, many on Tyneside have bemoaned the growing influence of Eddie Howe – and his nephew Andy – on the transfer front.
It may be no coincidence that – with the Howes often accused of relegating Nickson to the fringes – Newcastle’s success in the market has declined considerably.
Losing Nickson, one fan says on social media, is like losing the ‘crown jewel’. Now, West Ham are hoping he can be the kingmaker in a new palace.
“Steve Nickson is a seasoned and highly respected operator, and his ability to spot young talent is well regarded,” Chris Waugh writes in The Athletic. “So this will come as a blow to Newcastle.”
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