Journalist Jacob Steinberg has lifted the lid on what a West Ham ‘insider’ has told him about Tim Steidten after just one transfer window with the club.
Cast your minds back to July and reports abound that West Ham’s new technical director Tim Steidten could walk out after just two weeks in the job.
When Hammers News asked our top source inside the club about those claims at the time, what we were exclusively told was very worrying indeed with the German said to be finding David Moyes ‘very hard work’.
But there was a reason for that, because the Scot knew in his own mind what he wanted and what was required.
It was abundantly clear from the moment the highly-rated and coveted German, nicknamed ‘the pearl diver’, arrived at West Ham that he had a very different recruitment philosophy and list of targets to manager Moyes.
Initial frost between Moyes and Steidten thawed to result in unexpected window
The Scot has admitted as much since, saying Steidten arrived with a list of targets but that he had told the former Bayer Leverkusen man players need to have certain attributes for the Premier League.
Journalists were piling on and pundits were predicting a season of struggle ahead.
Even a West Ham board insider described the situation as “a complete mess” at one stage.
Fans were understandably gravely concerned and grew increasingly frustrated as West Ham took until August 10th – two days before the start of the new season – before they made their first signing having sold Declan Rice.
It was the start of what has been widely viewed and hailed as one of the best windows of any Premier League club.
Jacob Steinberg lifts lid on what West Ham ‘insider’ has told him about Tim Steidten after just one transfer window with the club
It may have taken time, but West Ham have impressed fans and observers with that acquisition of Edson Alvarez as well as James Ward-Prowse as Rice’s replacements. And European experts have raved about the business done in getting defender Konstantinos Mavropanos and exciting £38m attacker Mohammed Kudus too.
The Hammers are sitting pretty in the top four going into their fifth game of the season and are unbeaten.
Now a Guardian journalist who also reported on claims of initial disharmony between Steidten and Moyes has delivered an update on the German transfer chief.
Jacob Steinberg lifts lid on what West Ham ‘insider’ has told him about Steidten after just one transfer window with the club.
‘Timmy went to Dam…’
The source has lavished praise on ‘impressive’ Steidten. In particular his work to get the deal for Kudus done.
“It was not a straightforward summer,” Steinberg states in The Guardian.
“West Ham were slow to act after selling Rice, their captain and midfield linchpin, and there was plenty of talk about tension between Moyes and Tim Steidten, the club’s new technical director, over recruitment.
“A bad start could have cost Moyes his job. Yet the 60-year-old and Steidten have settled into a better rhythm. Insiders have been impressed with Steidten, noting the German’s diligence and praising him for his work on convincing Ajax to sell Kudus.
“Sharper recruitment has allowed West Ham to turn losing Rice into a positive.”
West Ham seem to have found a near perfect middleground in the summer between the Steidten and Moyes vision with the signings made.
Steidten has become something of a minor cult hero among supporters with his own terrace song about going to Amsterdam and coming back with two stars.
It even got to the stage during the window where many fans refused to believe West Ham were signing a player until they saw a picture of Steidten aboard a jet with them.
It’s easy to see why Steidten was coveted by Liverpool, Chelsea and Spurs. His first window bodes seriously well for the future at West Ham. Here’s to many more.
What’s been said about West Ham’s summer business?
> Moyes says West Ham are now stronger after Rice with their new signings.
> West Ham’s ‘exceptional’ rebuild seriously impresses European football experts.
> Gary Neville raves about West Ham’s window business and rebuild.
> Warnock blown away by West Ham and says they had best transfer window.
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