With Tim Steidten gone transfers are being negotiated by West Ham vice-chair Karren Brady and she might be on the verge of a deal.
West Ham have relieved Tim Steidten of his duties with an official announcement pending.
Steidten lasted just seven months in full control of West Ham’s recruitment.
The German has already left the UK and had access to West Ham’s facilities and computer systems revoked.
Majority owner David Sullivan has taken back ultimate control of signing off transfers.
Meanwhile recruitment guru Kyle Macaulay has been reunited with Graham Potter.
The Hammers boss confirmed at the weekend that Macauley is officially the club’s new head of recruitment.
It means vice-chair Karren Brady is back to negotiating transfer deals for West Ham.
Some fans were surprised when they heard Brady was working on certain deals.
They shouldn’t be. Because club-to-club transfer negotiations was her remit before Steidten’s arrival.
Monaco beat West Ham to top star
West Ham fans have been disappointed by the fact the club are yet to make any signings in the January transfer window so far.
Especially as the Hammers knew they needed signings long before the window opened.
That need has been a necessity with injuries piling up for Potter.
One particular deal Brady was working on really caught the imagination of Hammers supporters.
Now Monaco have beaten West Ham to a top star but it must mean Brady has sealed a deal.
Excitement was building among fans last week when it was claimed the club had agreed a £13m deal to sign Dutch midfield powerhouse Ezechiel Banzuzi.
West Ham’s midfield sorely lacks pace, dynamism and depth.
It has been crying out for a mobile box-to-box player since Declan Rice’s departure.
So it’s no surprise that it is one of the first areas Potter is looking to strengthen to get West Ham competitive again and implementing his style of play.
Deal confirmation must mean Brady has sealed Banzuzi
One player in Potter’s sights is the 6ft 3in 19-year-old midfielder Banzuzi of OH Leuven.
West Ham launched a cunning plan to hijack Monaco’s move for Banzuzi.
There seemed to be a breakthrough when the likes of The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg reported West Ham had agreed a £13m deal to sign the powerful box-to-box talent.
Sky Sports News even reported Banzuzi was on his way to east London for a medical last Wednesday.
Those reports jumped the gun, though.
And a Belgian journalist confirmed West Ham only actually made a formal written offer for Banzuzi on Thursday.
Things have gone quiet on Banzuzi since as West Ham’s attentions turned to a striker and another midifelder.
Foot Mercato journalist Sebastien Denis revealed West Ham were also rivalling Monaco for Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Eric Junior Dina Ebimbe.
Dina Ebimbe, 24, has been described as the ‘complete midfielder’.
One of Steidten’s big tactics when he was at West Ham was making moves for players being targeted by clubs from whom he wanted to sign a player.
He did it expertly to Ajax with a faux move for Carlos Forbs – which enabled West Ham to then sign Mohammed Kudus.
He also notably did it to Man United with a move for Noussair Mazraoui when negotiations over Aaron Wan-Bissaka hit a dead end.
Now it seems Brady may have learned a thing or two from Steidten.
Because West Ham’s interest in Dina Ebimbe has forced Monaco to push through a deal.
And that surely means only one thing – West Ham are close to sealing a move for Banzuzi.
Foot Mercato claims Monaco have now sealed a paid loan with option to buy for Dina Ebimbe.
It means the path is clear for the Hammers to seal a deal for Banzuzi.
According to reports Monaco will now not be looking to make any further midfield signings in this window.
So it appears the Ligue 1 side gave up on Banzuzi, who is hopefully now West Ham bound.
What Banzuzi would bring to West Ham
- A player of immense potential, Banzuzi has shown the ability to seamlessly transition between defence and attack.
- Top drawer ball control and dribbling skills, as you would expect from a Dutch player.
- Rangy star can navigate tight spaces with ease.
- Vision enables incisive passing to create goal-scoring opportunities.
- Without the ball, Banzuzi eats up the ground to break up play with well-timed tackles and interceptions.
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