One of the first things Daniel Kretinsky set out to fix at West Ham United was a problem that had caused no end of consternation during the David Sullivan era.
Kretinsky is cleaning house at the London Stadium, hiring an industrial-scale skip for all of Sullivan’s make-do-and-mend, cowboy projects.
Rather than Sullivan acting as a wannabe foreman – demanding MDF when solid oak is available down the timberyard – the Czech billionaire has installed Nils Koppen to oversee West Ham United’s rebuild with a more hands-on approach.
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Koppen is one of the more respected talent-spotters of his generation. As the man himself put it during his official unveiling as the club’s Director of Player Recruitment, Koppen’s ‘first focus’ is to find players who can not only take West Ham back to the Premier League but also keep them there.
The hope will be that, with Kretinsky leaving the squad-building to Koppen and Nuno, the days of irate managers missing out on top targets will be a thing of the past.
West Ham United missed out on Morgan Rogers to Aston Villa
It is no secret that Sullivan was averse to bringing Championship players to East London. That is despite the fact that West Ham’s most successful signing of the last decade is arguably Jarrod Bowen; the club captain snapped up from Hull City in 2020.
He did make the odd exception – see Crysencio Summerville – but Sullivan always had his guard up when it came to homegrown talent from the lower leagues.
So is Sullivan the reason why Morgan Rogers – an England international and Europa League winner with Aston Villa – is wearing a different shade of claret?
Speaking on the Outside the Box podcast, former Everton stalwart Leon Osman reveals that David Moyes was ‘furious’ to miss out on Rogers when Aston Villa agreed a £10 million deal with Middlesbrough in 2024.
“I just think, having spoken to Moyesy a couple of months back over this kind of thing, he wants to find the best players in the Championship,” Osman explains.
“The best young players like Everton in my time [came from the second tier], when he was finding your [Tim] Cahills and he was finding your ‘Jags’ [Phil Jagielka], your [Jolean] Lescotts, [Leighton] Baines, [John] Stones.
“These players that have broke through in the Championship or League One, and now you can see the potential.
“He was furious [to miss out on Rogers]. It happened before he came back to Everton. Aston Villa came in and grabbed him.
“That’s the type of player that Moyesy likes – look at Jarrod Bowen!”
Hammers can make better use of the Championship market under Daniel Kretinsky
Two days on, reports claim that Aston Villa value Rogers at an English record fee of £130 million.
Emboldened by Manchester City’s £116 million signing of Elliot Anderson, and potentially also the fact Tottenham caved in and paid £85 million for Mateus Fernandes, Villa are understandably keen to get involved in the madness of the current market.
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Rogers, then, goes down as one of the biggest missed opportunities in West Ham’s recent history. Competition for that honour, though, is plentiful.
Hammers News can reveal that West Ham missed out on Hugo Ekitike long before the striker joined Liverpool. Moyes himself is to blame for that one.
The Hammers were the victims of Bournemouth’s multi-club model when Eli Junior Kroupi moved to the Vitality from sister club FC Lorient. Like Rogers, the fee slapped on Kroupi’s head now could easily pass the nine-figure threshold.
The good news, of course, is that the post-Sullivan era potentially frees up West Ham to make better use of the EFL market. It’s just a shame they had to drop into the EFL in order to do so.
Sydie Peck and Jordan James are reported targets following fine campaigns at Sheffield United and Leicester City. West Ham like Swansea City striker Zan Vipotnik; the reigning Championship Golden Boot winner.
As Morgan Rogers, Michael Olise, Jarrod Bowen, Ebere Eze, Adam Wharton, Ollie Watkins and many more prove, there is plenty of value in the Championship market.
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