Tim Steidten makes behind-the-scenes David Sullivan reveal after West Ham spree
Tim Steidten has lifted the lid on a conversation with David Sullivan before leaving his position as West Ham United’s technical director.
Steidten was put in charge of West Ham’s player recruitment and the scouting department after he was appointed as the technical director in 2023.
The German executive particularly drew a lot of criticism after spending over £120million on nine new players, including Niclas Fullkrug and Luis Guilherme, last summer.
He subsequently left the London Stadium in February after newly-hired head coach Graham Potter brought in long-term ally Kyle Macaulay as the club’s new head of recruitment.
Steidten reveals what he told Sullivan about West Ham transfers
Steidten has now given his first interview since leaving West Ham, opening up on his time at the London Stadium and the challenges he faced.
Responding to criticisms about his spending spree last summer, the 45-year-old insisted that he viewed the Irons’ transformation as a long-term project that required at least eight windows to execute.
| Player |
| Niclas Fullkrug |
| Luis Guilherme |
| Max Kilman |
| Crysencio Summerville |
| Aaron Wan-Bissaka |
| Guido Rodriguez |
| Wes Foderingham |
| Jean-Clair Todibo |
| Carlos Soler |
He also revealed that he had clearly mentioned the same to Sullivan in the plan he presented to the East London outfit.
Steidten went on to admit that he made mistakes during his time at West Ham, but defended the signings he made.
“I believe it takes eight to 10 transfer windows to change a squad”, Steidten told the Kick & Rush podcast (26 March).
“I told the owner [Sullivan] that clearly. This has been a long-term project. At least, that was what I gave to the club.
“My task was to build something in the long term, which also needs young players.
“I have a lot of weaknesses and I think that I made a lot of mistakes during that time. But I would have chosen the same players over and over again.”
Steidten right to be upset with Sullivan
It is worth noting that Steidten claimed he needed eight to 10 transfer windows to transform West Ham’s squad, while he was only given three.
Although he was at the London Stadium during this year’s winter transfer window, he was already sidelined by then, with Karren Brady leading the negotiations with Potter during his appointment.
Furthermore, Steidten was not fully on board with Julen Lopetegui’s appointment ahead of this season.
He and Mark Noble wanted to bring in Potter, and it was Sullivan who pushed to hire the former Wolves boss instead.
The problem at West Ham is that Sullivan is too involved in decisions regarding everything, including transfers, and Steidten cannot be blamed if he is upset with the Irons owner.