Steidten exit: Graeme Souness fires dig at West Ham figure after Lopetegui sack
Graeme Souness has questioned why Tim Steidten has not followed Julen Lopetegui out the West Ham exit doors.
The former head coach’s camp are furious with the technical director’s conduct towards him, having reportedly been heavily involved in the search for a new manager [The Guardian].
With Graham Potter now in charge, it is unclear how long Steidten has left at the London Stadium, with Chelsea’s recruitment analyst Kyle Macaulay unlikely to join while the German is still at the club [Sean Whetstone].
Writing via Mail Plus [10 January], Souness said: “It’s sad to see another managerial change in Julen Lopetegui losing his job to be replaced by Graham Potter at West Ham.
“The one question I would ask is ‘how much input did he have on the players they brought in? How much of the £130million they spent last summer was his choice?’
“If that is down to the technical director Tim Steidten, then surely his work should be equally scrutinised. Should he not be going as well?”
Tim Steidten under fire at West Ham after Julen Lopetegui news
Supporters are becoming more and more frustrated by Steidten’s actions, not just because of some of the transfer decisions being made, but also his treatment of co-workers behind the scenes.
Signing Niclas Fullkrug over Jhon Duran continues to be one of the biggest mistakes for the Hammers in recent history, with the German striker suffering a brand new injury against Aston Villa.
Now, it appears Steidten played a vital role in getting Lopetegui sacked, which has seen a similar trend emerge to that of David Moyes’ controversial exit last summer.
On both occasions, the technical director has been asked to stay away from Rush Green [Daily Mail], with the senior figure becoming an unpopular figure at the London Stadium due to his actions.
While he cannot be blamed for some of the performances under Lopetegui, he has certainly not helped proceedings, and the squad could have been far more talented had he secured other signings.
In other West Ham news, Darren Bent has been left baffled by a new Ben Chilwell transfer update live on air.
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