Tough job waits for potential West Ham United director of football after Declan Rice news
A tough job awaits any new potential West Ham United director of football after candidates were told Declan Rice will leave the club this summer.
The Hammers are looking to restructure their recruitment department after being disappointed by the results of their £170m spend last summer that saw them bring in eight players including Gianluca Scamacca and Lucas Paqueta.
West Ham have been linked with many names in recent weeks, with the likes of Brentford’s Lee Dykes, Roma’s Tiago Pinto and former Bayer Leverkusen chief Tim Steidten emerging as potential candidates for the crucial role behind the scenes.
With the Hammers set for a major squad revamp this summer, one of the main transfer agendas that could potentially await any new director of football candidate is the upcoming transfer saga of Declan Rice which could well cause major domino effects.
West Ham United are well resigned to losing their skipper this summer who has long been linked with a transfer away with Arsenal and Bayern Munich reportedly willing to pay around £90m for the 24-year-old, although West Ham values him at £120m.
But while Rice still has two years remaining on his current London Stadium deal and nobody has matched his value with a bid yet, journalist Jacob Steinberg reports that the club have informed candidates for the new director of football role they’re hiring that the England international will leave.
“West Ham are looking to bring in a director of football and potential candidates have been informed Rice will be sold this summer,” The Guardian wrote (2 June).
The to-do list awaiting any new director of football in East London will be incredibly significant and ensuring the Hammers get the best out of any Rice deal this summer will be of paramount importance.
West Ham United will be undergoing a major rebuild of their own, and much of that spending will be dependent on how much they get for the England international in the end.
It’s been reported by Sky Sports Germany [24 May], capital rivals Arsenal have tabled an €80million (£69.6m) bid for the midfielder ahead of the summer window.
Interest in their key man is certainly rife right now and is set to intensify even further following the conclusion of the Europa Conference League final clash with Fiorentina on 7 June.
Rice is destined to leave the London Stadium, but £69m seems incredibly little if West Ham United are to sell their prized asset to a London rival.
The Hammers need to be smart about their decision. With Rice’s contract at the club still to run until 2025, they cannot be bullied into a cheaper sale – they must stick to their £100m-plus price tag and that’s where the help of an experienced transfer negotiator [Alan Nixon, 28 May] or director of football could prove incredibly useful.
Replacing Rice’s midfield quality is an absolutely tough ask, and with plenty of the West Ham United faithful massively intrigued by how the squad may shape up post-Rice, the Hammers’ new recruitment chief is certainly under pressure to find ways to successfully evolve this squad and ensure that the club are back where they belong in the Premier League next season.
The Irons should only need to look at Tottenham Hotspur and how they reacted in the window when they sold their own star name Gareth Bale for €100m (£85.3m) back in 2013. The Hammers simply cannot afford to have a taste of that dreadful fate themselves.
Nevertheless, not only will the pressure intensify surrounding the playing squad, but on the managerial front also, with David Moyes’ future at the London Stadium under threat should West Ham United lose their historic Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina on 7 June.
Replacing Moyes with a much more progressive and attack-minded successor won’t be easy but ensuring it’s the right and most suitable candidate to lead West Ham United forward will be a tough ask in itself.
A hugely significant job awaits the potential new director of football at the London Stadium, and things could get incredibly toxic should the club kick off next season, the same way they ended the last.