Europa Conference League winners West Ham United have taken measures to continue in their efforts to keep up with the times across the footballing landscape after hiring technical director Tim Steidten in a bid to institute a new data-driven recruitment remit at the London Stadium.
The 44-year-old German arrives in the capital after a highly successful stint in a similar role at Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen, whose recruitment strategy under Steidten bore ample fruit over the last few years.
Steidten will work alongside manager David Moyes, and sporting director and former Hammers star Mark Noble as part of a triumvirate that has targeted the long-term progression of the club’s football strategy according to reports from BBC Sport.
West Ham has turned to Steidten to head a “data-led approach” to scouting which has unearthed a number of gifted players that flew under the radar, with the German stating “There is already a fantastic team in place [at West Ham], but also so much ambition – from the board, the manager, his staff and the players – to continue succeeding, developing and growing. I cannot wait to play a key part in that.”
And there is no better time for Steidten to sink his teeth into a club that is about to receive a record fee for a British player when Declan Rice finally completes his move to Arsenal, with Steidten’s recruitment directive no doubt looking to maximize the spending power the club can bring to bear to not only replace Rice but also add quality into the senior setup.
Steidten, who started as a youth scout at SV Werder Bremen back in 2008, worked his way up the internal ladder with Die Werderaner for nine years, becoming head of youth scouting, head of club-wide scouting, sporting director, and then director of football before moving to Leverkusen in 2019 to first become the club’s head of scouting and then sports coordinator in 2022.
Under his watchful eye, Die Werkself brought in the likes of Moussa Diaby, Edmond Tapsoba, Exequiel Palacios, Patrick Schick, Jeremie Frimpong, Odilon Kossounou, Amine Adli, Piero Hincapié, and Adam Hlozek.
Should the Hammers give Steidten the same wide berth when it comes to talent identification and recruitment, the club could well push forward both on the home front and in Europe to capitalize on its regular position in European competitions while reestablishing its Premier League credentials.
