While Tim Steidten’s reputation at West Ham United will forever be tainted by that ill-fated summer of 2023, one wonders how differently he would be viewed at the London Stadium had he got his mitts on a certain £18 million forward.
Steidten’s overall record, in hindsight, is a pretty mixed one to say the least.
The German talentspotter spent a year-and-a-half working at the London Stadium, from July 2023 to February 2025.
That famous picture of Tim Steidten beaming alongside Mohammed Kudus, boarding a private jet bound for the English capital, will forever be viewed as the undoubted highpoint of that 19 month spell.
Steidten convinced Kudus to choose West Ham despite links with more established, more recognisably ‘elite’ institutions.
On the other hand, though, Steidten brought in Guido Rodriguez, Carlos Soler and Luis Guilherme too. A summer window which looked impressive on paper proved to be anything but on the pitch.
If only the one-time Bayer Leverkusen and Werder Bremen chief had succeeded in his pursuit of Antonio Nusa; the so-called ‘Norwegian Neymar’ who looks destined to become the next superstar forward to blossom in the Bundesliga.
Tim Steidten admits he wanted RB Leipzig star Antonio Nusa at West Ham United
While Tottenham Hotspur held talks with Antonio Nusa before his eventual £18 million departure from Club Brugge, West Ham were heavily linked with the RB Leipzig winger as well.
One year on, and still only 20 years of age, Nusa is blossoming into the footballer many back home in Norway always expected him to be.
The mercurial youngster scored five goals while setting up eight more in his debut season at Leipzig. Nusa’s performance during a stunning 3-0 thrashing of Italy in June, meanwhile, felt like a coming-of-age display from a forward with staggering potential.
Nusa finished off a mesmerising solo run with a blockbuster of a finish, all the while running the Azzurri backline ragged during a victory which brought a brutal end to the Luciano Spalletti era.
Steidten, speaking to Sky Germany, now rates Nusa as the stand-out newbie of the 2024/25 Bundesliga campaign.
“I’m going with Antonio Nusa,” Steidten explains, opening up on his desire to take the one-time Stabaek Fotball starlet to England.
“To be honest, I would have liked to bring him to West Ham myself.
“He was injured for a long time [ruled out from February to April with a knee issue]. But when he’s fit, he has enormous potential and is an outstanding player.”
West Ham missed out on ‘Norwegian Neymar’ but Crysencio Summerville has a point to prove
Mats Solheim, who played alongside a teenage Nusa in Scandinavia, sees no reason why he cannot ascend to the same vertigo-inducing heights as a Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil icon.
“I can see similarities to Neymar in Nusa’s movements and in the way he uses the ball,” Solheim, told Goal.
“There is still a small gap between them. But he can get there [and reach Neymar’s level].”
While Nusa moved to Germany, West Ham snapped up another right-footed left-winger with potential by the bucketload.
Crysencio Summerville has endured his fair share of fitness issues too since then, however. The £30 million signing from Leeds United has not played a competitive minute since January. After undergoing hamstring surgery, though, Summerville checked in at Rush Green on Monday as pre-season training got underway.
James Ward-Prowse remains confident in Summerville, tipping both he and Niclas Fullkrug – another big-money Steidten signing – to prove their doubters wrong.
“Injuries happen. That is part and parcel of football,” the England international tells The Standard. “But they work hard to put things right.
“And, when they’re fully fit, I’m sure [Summerville and Fullkrug] will have a great impact on the team.”
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