Morgan Rogers to record sales: West Ham’s plan to steal Middlesbrough transfer guru Kieran Scott is genius
West Ham United are keen on adding Middlesbrough’s head of football, Kieran Scott, to their boardroom team ahead of a restructure for the Championship.
The Hammers had their relegation to the Championship confirmed on Sunday after a 14-year stay in the Premier League, as the plan for a rebuild starts now.
Many West Ham supporters would agree that the start of the club’s downfall has been due to recruitment in recent years, especially that one nightmare window that was catered for Julen Lopetegui.
The Irons have to raise a reported £150million in sales to balance the books at the London Stadium, but that doesn’t necessarily mean additions both on and off the field will be neglected.
West Ham are interested in Scott, and his track record for Boro in the Championship says it all, from the unearthing of Morgan Rogers to being behind the club’s biggest-ever sale.
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Kieran Scott is a genius and West Ham would be lucky to get him
Scott is highly regarded by West Ham, and it’s clear to see why, given the transfer guru’s track record in the EFL with Boro and his former club Norwich City
During his time with Norwich, Scott was widely credited with finding important data on the likes of Emi Buendia and Teemu Pukki, two players who went on to become great successes in England.
| Player | Fee joined | Games | Goals (assists) |
| Teemu Pukki | Free transfer | 210 | 88 (28) |
| Emi Buendia | £1.5m | 121 | 24 (41) |
He joined Middlesbrough in September 2021, earning the role of the club’s head of football, quickly making his mark by scouting young talent to help Boro stay within their financial means while also being a constant promotion contender.
Arguably, his biggest success at the Riverside Stadium was the permanent signing of Morgan Rogers from Manchester City, who was coming off the back of a lacklustre loan spell with Blackpool at the time.
Rogers is now an England starter, with reports of him leaving Aston Villa for £80m this summer.But it doesn’t stop there.
Scott played a huge role in recruiting Emmanuel Latte Lath for Middlesbrough, a player who quickly won the hearts of Boro fans before leaving in a club-record sale, joining Atalanta United to break the MLS transfer record.
Scott has particular expertise in recruiting from the MLS with the signings of Aidan Morris and Adilson Malanda, both of whom have been tipped to play in the Premier League at some point in the near future.
The transfer expert has taken some flak from Boro fans after a controversial winter transfer window was unable to help the club gain promotion, though, after suffering a serious injury that kept him in a hospital bed around Christmas time, it’s unknown how much input he had at the time.
How will Scott handle more pressure at West Ham?
Some West Ham fans will have never heard of Scott before, but he is a well-known figure in the Championship, and respected highly by Boro owner Steve Gibson.
Middlesbrough have had some misses under his tenure, but often have to go for less-proven signings instead of making big-money moves.
So it would be a change for him, and if the Hammers manage to pry him to East London, it would be a matter of time before finding out if he can handle the pressure of getting the Irons back to the big time.