Like Graham Potter, former head of recruitment Max Hahn officially has a new job in Swedish football, leaving West Ham United for Djurgardens IF.
It emerged in the immediate aftermath of their relegation that Hahn would be leaving the London Stadium.
The 30-year-old German arrived at West Ham United during the reign of compatriot Tim Steitdten back in 2024. Hahn was initially the Hammers’ chief analyst before taking on the head of recruitment role.
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During his unveiling by Djurgardens, Hahn would tell the club’s official website why his Hammers departure came about. And also why, like national team boss Graham Potter, he selected Sweden as the next destination in his footballing journey.
Max Hahn spoke to Graham Potter before leaving West Ham United for Djurgardens
While Potter led Sweden to the 2026 World Cup – not to mention a 5-1 thrashing of Tunisia in their group opener – Hahn will be hoping to transform Djurgardens into title challengers once again.
The twelve-time Allsvenskan champions last won the league in 2019. They finished fifth last term.
One thing that really attracted Hahn to Djurgardens was their connections with Tony Bloom’s secretive Jamestown Analytics firm. Something he spoke about with Potter – one of Bloom’s former managers at Brighton and Hove Albion – before putting pen to paper in Stockholm.
“I see [Jamestown Analytics] as an important strategic asset. I have heard a lot about its potential and had conversations with Graham Potter about how to effectively use that type of data and resources,” says Hahn.
“The goal is to integrate these insights directly into our scouting and performance flows. It is not just about having the data but about making it as useful as possible, so that we make better, faster and more informed decisions than any other team in Allsvenskan.”
While Brighton have long since established themselves as one of the best-run clubs in European football, other clubs to benefit from the data provided by Jamestown Analytics include Champions League-bound Como, recently-promoted Ipswich Town, former Belgian champions Royal Saint Gilloise, and Scottish Premiership runners-up Hearts.
“For me, Djurgardens is the perfect mix of a club with a genuine soul, where at the same time there is a huge opportunity to build something special,” adds Hahn. “First and foremost, Djurgardens is a huge club with a rich history, and Stockholm is truly an incredibly exciting football city.
“My ambition is to transform Djurgardens into the most modern, data-driven club in Scandinavia while remaining true to our identity.”
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Hammers spell taught Hahn how an academy should be run
Hahn would also reflect on the two big ‘lessons’ he learned during his two-year spell with West Ham.
Last season, West Ham’s academy became the first team to win the Premier League Cup at three different age groups, while the likes of Ezra Mayers, Mohamadou Kante and Callum Marshall made first-team debuts.
“The academy is the heart of the club’s long-term sustainability,” says Hahn. At West Ham I learned that you can’t just have a top academy. You have to have a clear, working path forward. We built a stable and well-thought-out loan program that then resulted in ten debuts in the first team.
“[But] the biggest lesson from the Premier League is the ‘professionalization of small wins’. Even in a different economic landscape, the principles of data-driven recruitment and high-performance training translate perfectly.
“It’s about building a department that doesn’t just rely on gut feeling. By implementing the structures I’ve used before, such as streamlined scouting processes, clear tactical profiling and a data-driven department, we can gain a huge competitive advantage in the Allsvenskan.”
Steve Nickson is set to become West Ham’s new sporting director, thus filling a void created by Hahn’s departure.
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