David Moyes and Tim Steidten misaligned on West Ham United transfer strategy
West Ham chiefs David Moyes and Tim Steidten are not on the same page about the club’s transfer strategy this summer, according to Dean Jones.
The former Eurosport journalist said on 23 July that the Hammers boss is “looking for a certain type of player to fit his style”, but that recently appointed technical director Steidten isn’t as convinced by the Scotsman’s targets.
The two players Jones highlights as being part of the ongoing disagreement are James Ward-Prowse and Scott McTominay, with the Irons being linked with the pair throughout much of the window so far.
“The other problem they’ve got at the moment is that David Moyes has a certain type and style of player that he feels will fit with his team,” said Jones.
“So you’re looking at players like James Ward-Prowse and Scott McTominay, in that bracket, that David Moyes is definitely holding an interest in.
“You’ve also got this new guy that’s come in, Tim Steidten, who is apparently not as convinced that those are the sort of players that West Ham should be building around.”
Unhelpful
The last thing West Ham fans, who are desperate for signings on the back of the Declan Rice sale to Arsenal, want to hear is that the two people behind transfers at the club can’t agree on who they want to bring in.
This surely should have been a process that was decided upon weeks ago, with the pair sitting down and identifying which players they want to go after and ironing out any potential issues.
The problem is that both parties probably feel they have the final say, as Steidten was brought in to spearhead the club’s recruitment strategy, while Moyes is the one charged with getting results out on the field.
With regards to the two players highlighted by Jones, they are both improvements on the current midfield options at the manager’s disposal, so you can see why he would be interested in them.
This is an issue that needs to be sorted out as quickly as possible, as the new Premier League season is less than three weeks away and new signings are definitely needed.
In other West Ham news, one Hammers star is in Italy for medical checks as speculation continues around his future.