West Ham vs Aston Villa is live on Sky Sports on Saturday - kick-off 5.30pm; Technical director Tim Steidten is calling the shots in the new era at the Hammers
Friday 16 August 2024 20:25, UK
West Ham’s mantra for the season can be best described in four words – In Steidten We Trust.
The club is embarking on a new era where a shift in power has happened at the top.
One that has got tongues wagging.
The incomings are an exciting bunch. Luis Guilherme, Max Kilman, Crysencio Summerville, Niclas Fullkrug, Guido Rodriguez, Jean-Clair Todibo and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
If trophies were awarded for winning transfer windows, West Ham would be up and running for the season.
Technical director Tim Steidten - the man you've seen welcoming the new array of talent through the door at West Ham this summer - has been given the keys to the club by owner David Sullivan. He is effectively running the football club.
This is a big moment for West Ham - a club that have found themselves playing catch-up when it comes to the brains department behind the scenes at football clubs. West Ham have moved towards a more European-based model.
The manager at West Ham is usually the decision maker. Now it's Steidten, who is an experienced and sophisticated analyst when it comes to scouting and creating environments for players to thrive and one who embraces a data-led approach. He is a culture creator.
Having worked his way up to director of football in 2017 at Werder Bremen, where he managed to sign Kevin De Bruyne on loan from Chelsea at one stage, he was snapped up by Bayer Leverkusen in 2019 and became their technical director in 2022.
The building blocks he put in place before his departure for West Ham in the summer of 2023, including hiring Xabi Alonso and unearthing talent like Florian Wirtz, undoubtedly played a huge role in Leverkusen being able to topple Bayern Munich and win the domestic double last season as they defied the odds.
His role at West Ham differs slightly to Leverkusen in that he's playing an even more significant and leading role to the running of the club.
In the dug-out, David Moyes has gone, replaced by Julen Lopetegui.
West Ham had a safe pair of hands in Moyes, who arguably oversaw the club's most successful period by winning the Europa Conference League - their first major trophy for 43 years.
Despite the success though, behind the scenes a power struggle between Steidten and Moyes last season was rumbling.
Transfers and playing style were the big issues.
Moyes wanted the final say on transfers. That's a bit of an issue when Steidten was hired to perform that exact role.
It led to clashes and differences of opinions. There was confusion around transfer targets in January with Moyes blocking some moves for players and Steidten having issues with the Scot pushing so hard to sign Kalvin Phillips on loan from Manchester City and an unwillingness to explore the European market.
Steidten was also pushing Moyes to employ a more expansive style of football, too - something that was demanded from large sections of the supporter base.
"Maybe there would be managers who excite them more - but the one who is sitting here wins more," Moyes suggested after a defeat at Nottingham Forest in February.
But the fans were voting with their feet. Not only were they turning against the style, they were turning away from going to matches. Ticket take-ups were down towards the end of last season and there were worries that season ticket renewals would be affected if Moyes was to remain at the helm.
The relationship became so strained that towards the end of the campaign, Moyes banned Steidten from the training ground. A decision that went down badly with the ownership. A straw that broke the camel's back, perhaps.
To move forward, owner Sullivan had to back one of them - and chose the German.
Lopetegui was hired by Sullivan but was hand-picked by Steidten, who was eyeing someone completely comfortable in the job of a head coach, being able to align with the football philosophy and was happy to leave the recruitment largely down to the technical director, albeit with the sign-off of the head coach.
Lopetegui was that man.
The Spaniard and Steidten have already developed a very close working relationship, with Steidten leading the way with the impressive recruitment drive, jetting around Europe to personally convince players that West Ham's ambition can match theirs.
This was the case when he flew to Nice to speak to Todibo after hearing a move was possible because Juventus couldn't find an agreement with the player. Steidten managed to finalise a loan with a £35m option to buy.
He also played a key role in the signings of Mohamed Kudus last summer and the capture of striker Fullkrug, who said: "I have been thinking about West Ham for a long time now - I know the technical director Tim Steidten very well, because we have history at Werder Bremen together, and I have watched some games and seen how much quality there is in the team."
Steidten's ability to sell the West Ham dream is made easier by having Lopetegui on board. This is a coach with Premier League experience but someone eager to show what he can do with greater resources. At West Ham, he finds a club keen to embrace a new way and appetite for a more progressive style of play.
Lopetegui's record, particularly in Spain, suggests that he can deliver that.
At Wolves, the style of football was seen as pragmatic but Lopetegui would point to the dire circumstances when he arrived and the eventual results achieved where he galvanised a team bottom at Christmas and five points from safety to a smooth survival.
A truer reflection of his preferred style of play on the pitch could be seen in his three years at Sevilla. One Europa League and three consecutive top-four finishes show that it worked where an emphasis on possession and playing a higher defensive line made Sevilla an exciting prospect to watch.
Music to West Ham's fans ears, no doubt.
The ceiling of achievement and excitement is higher under Lopetegui but this change in aspirations comes attached with risk, especially in a Premier League stacked with such quality.
"West Ham have got to be careful what they wish for," blasted Sky Sports' Paul Merson on the day it was announced Moyes was leaving.
"I'm not saying it'll happen overnight, what happened to Charlton, but I remember many years ago when I played, their fans were asking to get rid of Alan Curbishley, saying it was boring, middle of the table, they wanted to kick on.
"They've never been seen since. This manager is top, top drawer. They won a European trophy! It's just madness.
"I wouldn't have got rid of him in a month of Sundays. You'll get West Ham fans coming back, saying this and that, throwing every stat in the world. But I'll just throw you the biggest stat of them all. He. Won. You. A. Trophy."
So, will this be the start of the next Charlton? Or perhaps the next Leverkusen?
West Ham have put faith in Steidten. It's time to trust him.
Lopetegui's return to Premier League football starts at the London Stadium against Aston Villa, live on Sky Sports, on the opening weekend of the 2024/25 season.
The Spaniard will face his former side Wolves at home on December 7 before returning to Molineux on April 1.
West Ham, who finished in 9th in 2023/24, finish their campaign at Ipswich Town on the final day, having played their last home game against Nottingham Forest on the penultimate weekend of the season.
The Hammers' festive fixtures see them hosting Brighton on December 21 and Liverpool on December 29 with a trip to Southampton sandwiched in between on Boxing Day.
August
17: Aston Villa (h) - live on Sky Sports, kick-off 5.30pm
24: Crystal Palace (a) - kick-off 3pm
31: Manchester City (h) - live on Sky Sports, kick-off 5.30pm
September
14: Fulham (a) - kick-off 3pm
21: Chelsea (h) - kick-off 12.30pm
28: Brentford (a) - kick-off 3pm
