Tim Steidten power battle mooted after what Julen Lopetegui has done at West Ham
Pat Nevin believes Tim Steidten needs to “accept the consequences” of West Ham United’s underwhelming season so far.
The Hammers currently sit 14th in the Premier League despite Steidten overseeing the arrival of 10 new players at the London Stadium last summer.
Writing for the BBC Sport website (19 November), BBC pundit Nevin shared his thoughts on the “power battle” that Steidten seemingly won against David Moyes last season and that now he must shoulder more responsibility.
“The goings on at Chelsea made Game of Thrones look pleasant and polite but the more interesting current drama is at West Ham,” he wrote.
“David Moyes lost the power battle with Tim Steidten, (going under the title technical director this time) but with Julen Lopetegui struggling, more eyes are wandering away from his dugout and up towards the main stand and Steidten.
“They seem to ask, who actually acquired the 10 new players over the summer who have so far scored a meagre three goals between them?
“In Moyes’ ‘unacceptable’ final season the Hammers finished on 1.4 points per game. They currently sit with 1.1 per game this time round. It is still early days but that is the difference between mid-table comfort and hovering around the relegation zone.
“The technical advisors are now finding that if you grab the power you also have to accept the consequences”.
Tim Steidten needs to work some magic in January for West Ham United
The summer window left Hammers fans mostly happy due to the sheer amount of talent that was brought through the London Stadium doors.
Jean Clair-Todibo and Crysencio Summerville are just two names who spring to mind that many expected to have a decent impact on West Ham’s squad.
Last term, they finished the season with the fourth-worst defensive record in the top flight which is why a lot of their recruitment was focused on improving their defence.
While their overall defensive record may have been among the worst in the league last term, David Moyes still managed to grind out results and led the Hammers to a respectable ninth-place finish.
This season, Julen Lopetegui was expected to lead his team to at least the European places but instead, he’s been left rather red-faced with his job now seemingly on the line.
If Steidten can’t find funding to bring additional players in to bolster the Hammers’ ranks in the winter transfer window, things could go from bad to worse rather quickly.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers may have found a long-term replacement for Lucas Paqueta.
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