Kaveh Solhekol shares ‘friction behind the scenes’ West Ham United update amid ‘power struggle’ claim
There is “friction behind the scenes” at West Ham this summer, according to Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol.
Speaking on Sky Sports News, Solhekol claimed that there is a “power struggle” between manager David Moyes and new technical director Tim Steidten.
Appointed last month, Steidten will be responsible for the club’s overarching player recruitment strategy and scouting department, as per the official West Ham website (1 July).
“They wanted to shift their focus away from the English market, to the European and worldwide market, and that’s why Steidten was brought in,” said Solhekol, as per Sky Sports.
“But then you look at the kind of players they’ve been making bids for, basically tried and tested Premier League players – Joao Palhinha, Conor Gallagher, Scott McTominay, Denis Zakaria.
“Yes, they’ve made bids for players in Europe as well, Edson Alvarez, Youssouf Fofana. But I don’t think they’ve been making bids for the players that Steidten has been recommending.
“So there’s a little bit of friction behind the scenes, a little bit of a power struggle going on. Ultimately, David Moyes is the manager and he gets the final say, and he wants to do things his way.”
Unwanted power struggle
A power struggle behind the scenes at any club is not good, but it is particularly worrying for West Ham, who are rapidly running out of time to bring in new players.
The new Premier League season is rapidly approaching, with the East London outfit also having to make the step up from the Europa Conference League to the Europa League in the coming months.
And they will have to do all of that without former captain and star player Declan Rice, who left earlier this summer to join Premier League rivals Arsenal.
Despite continuous efforts from the powers that be at West Ham, their former midfield maestro has yet to be replaced.
Steidten has been brought in to work closely with Moyes and sporting director Mark Noble at the London Stadium, but given the lack of new recruits, it seems that all has not gone swimmingly in these early stages.
In other West Ham news, a journalist has mooted an exit for one star who isn’t “entirely enamoured” with London Stadium life.