Hammers to finalise new appointment

By Sean Whetstone

West Ham are expected to finalise the appointment of Tim Steidten as their new technical director in the coming week .

The former defensive midfielder was snapped up by Bayer Leverkusen in June 2019 and he oversaw an influx of young talent, from Moussa Diaby to Jeremie Frimpong to Edmond Tapsoba to Odilon Kossounou to Piero Hincapie, along with Xabi Alonso being hired as manager.

He left Leverkusen in March 2023 which immediately sparked  a race for his services among such as Liverpool, Chelsea and Spurs.

He is fond of a data-led approach to scouting, feeling statistics should be used to narrow down the market because to quote his fellow director at Leverkusen, Simon Rolfes: ‘It is not possible to see the whole world’.

He is also s an advocate of using tech to his advantage; sensing data should be used for much more than merely tracking the passes made by a player.

West Ham are due to play their last pre-season friendly against Leverkusen, a small sign perhaps of his early influence.