Inside West Ham’s transfer window: An unprecedented summer as Steidten asserts authority (2024)

It is a signing that has been described as a miracleand underlines the important role technical director Tim Steidten played during West Ham United’s summer transfer window.

Jean-Clair Todibo was identified in June as a transfer target but the 24-year-old centre-back had interest from other European clubs. In the end, Juventus emerged as the main rivals to West Ham because they could offer Champions League football. Sources close to the player’s camp — who, like others consulted for this article, spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships — say the prospect of Todibo joining West Ham looked impossible at one stage.

And yet a deal was still struck for Todibo to join from Nice on a season-long loan, with an obligation to buy for £34million ($44.7m).

Juventus stalled when it came to finalising a deal and Steidten was ready to pounce. Although he had Red Bull Salzburg defender Oumar Solet lined up as an alternative, it was Steidten’s priority to sign the twice-capped France international. When West Ham were alerted that a deal for Todibo could be done, it was finalised within 24 hours.

Steidten travelled to Nice in a private jet and returned with the defender. “Without Tim, the deal does not get done,” says a source close to the player. Todibo made his debut as a late substitute in their opening Premier League loss against Aston Villa.

This was the window in which Steidten, who joined from Bayer Leverkusen in July 2023, stamped his mark all over West Ham. Last summer, he and former manager David Moyes clashed over transfer targets but this window, the club’s spending surpassed £140million following the arrivals of Wes Foderingham, Todibo, Maximilian Kilman, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Guido Rodriguez, Carlos Soler, Crysencio Summerville, Luis Guilherme and Niclas Fullkrug.

It was an unprecedented summer as West Ham assembled a team capable of challenging once again for Europe.

Steidten played an important role in appointing new head coach Julen Lopetegui and sat next to the Spaniard in his first press conference. Before discussing transfer targets, Steidten assured Lopetegui that West Ham would not sell any star players. Lucas Paqueta remained despite interest from boyhood club Flamengo, Jarrod Bowen was rewarded with the captaincy and Mohammed Kudus’ £85million release clause expired in July.

Steidten kept his promise.

One of his first crucial tasks was visiting Paqueta in Brazil before the Copa America. The 26-year-old playmaker was low on confidence after the Football Association charged him with misconduct over alleged spot-fixing offences in four Premier League matches. Paqueta could be hit with a lifetime ban from football if found guilty of breaching betting rules when an independent commission hears his case. Steidten travelled to South America to support Paqueta and reassure him of his importance amid interest from Flamengo.

The Brazilian side made an unsatisfactory offer to sign Paqueta that West Ham sources described as “laughable”. Lopetegui came to Paqueta’s defence in July and has been pleased with his attitude since working with the Brazilian.

Keeping hold of key players has allowed Lopetegui to get his methods across. Of the many changes behind the scenes, the head coach has reduced the number of days off for the players. Lopetegui wants to increase the squad’s work ethic, something that Kilman’s arrival should help facilitate.

Lopetegui worked with Kilman at Wolverhampton Wanderers and the 27-year-old was one of the first targets he discussed with Steidten. After an initial £25million bid was rejected, West Ham paid £40m to secure the centre-back and Kilman has impressed in their opening matches.

Before Kilman’s arrival, Brazil defender Fabricio Bruno was on course to become Lopetegui’s first signing for £15million but the 28-year-old was not satisfied with West Ham’s contract offer, which was not a significant improvement on his Flamengo deal.

West Ham also missed out on signing Aleix Garcia, who opted to join Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen for €18million (£15.2m; $19.9m). West Ham’s failure to qualify for European football was a factor, but this did not deter other targets.

Niclas Fullkrug spurned Champions League football to join West Ham. Fullkrug, who worked with Steidten at Werder Bremen, was bought for £27million from Borussia Dortmund and signed a four-year contract. There were initial concerns from fans given he is 31, but a proven goalscorer to provide competition for Michail Antonio has been one of West Ham’s long-term targets.

Antonio, 34, is entering the final year of his contract but remains an important part of Lopetegui’s plans. In June, West Ham rejected a £500,000 offer from Brazilian side Gremio.

West Ham’s first-choice target at centre-forward was Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran. Their interest in the Colombia international dates back to January, when Villa rejected a loan offer. That bid included an option to buy but Villa were not prepared to do business.

This summer, West Ham had two offers for Duran turned down but in Fullkrug, Lopetegui has his leading marksman. Across the last two full seasons, Fullkrug has scored 28 goals in 59 Bundesliga matches.

There was a need to strengthen at right-back after Ben Johnson’s departure to Ipswich Town on a free transfer, leading to Wan-Bissaka’s arrival from Manchester United for £15million on a seven-year contract.

Wan-Bissaka started his career at Crystal Palace and, despite interest from Inter Milan, was keen to return to London. The 26-year-old was West Ham’s first-choice option and has already shown he is capable of dislodging Vladimir Coufal from the starting XI.

“I was in pre-season and my agent and old club felt this was the best move to make my mark again,” Wan-Bissaka told The Athletic after the 1-0 Carabao Cup win over Bournemouth. “I agreed this was the right decision and I spoke to friends and family in London. They always give me advice and they said the final decision comes down to me. I thought about it and now I’m here.

“It’s very important to be back in London to be close to loved ones. Now they can come to every game, which means a lot.”

Summerville joined from Leeds United for at least £25million, plus add-ons. The 22-year-old had been on Steidten’s radar since last summer and the technical director was confident he could sign Summerville this window. The attacker had interest from three other Premier League clubs but chose West Ham to secure playing time.

John Heitinga, West Ham’s former assistant first-team coach, gave Summerville a glowing reference of the club and why it would be the best fit for him.

Former Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips, who struggled during his six-month spell at West Ham, also encouraged Summerville to join when he sought his opinion. Phillips praised staff behind the scenes, the player care team and how likeable the squad is. He stressed Summerville would have no issues settling in.

But it was Summerville’s exchange with Steidten that proved critical.

Having travelled to Amsterdam on a private jet, Steidten challenged Summerville to become a success like Kudus and Edson Alvarez on the flight back to London. He outlined why being average would not be good enough and the need for the forward to develop into a top-tier signing. Summerville duly showed glimpses of his potential in his first start against Bournemouth.

Luis Guilherme, who joined from Brazilian side Palmeiras for £25.5m on a five-year deal, is yet to make his competitive debut. The 18-year-old was not in the matchday squad for league games against Villa and Palace, and was an unused sub in the win against Bournemouth. He was signed ahead of fellow attacker Jota Silva, who has since joined Nottingham Forest from Portuguese side Vitoria Guimaraes.

Guilherme also had interest from an unnamed Saudi Pro League club. Scouts from Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Chelsea had travelled to Brazil to monitor his development at Palmeiras. Real Madrid and Barcelona were also interested, but Steidten convinced Luis Guilherme and his family that moving to West Ham would accelerate his development.

Lopetegui wanted to sign an experienced third-choice goalkeeper following the release of 24-year-old Joseph Anang.

Tim Krul, of Luton Town, was an option but Foderingham was the preferred target. The 33-year-old signed a two-year deal after joining on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract at Sheffield United.

West Ham explored signing Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka on deadline day but a deal could not be struck. The addition of Soler, 27, from Paris Saint-Germain on a season-long loan was driven by the head coach. Lopetegui felt he needed more creativity in midfield and Soler was keen to work under his fellow Spaniard.

The delay in the deal being finalised was due to West Ham needing to sell or loan fringe players to free up space.

James Ward-Prowse ended up joining Nottingham Forest on loan on deadline day.West Ham had been open to offers for the midfielder, who joined from Southampton last summer for £30million, despite an impressive debut season which yielded seven goals and 11 assists across 51 appearances. His form at the start of last season led to Kevin Nolan, West Ham’s former first-team coach, and others backing the midfielder to earn an England recall.

In an interview with The Athletic in July, Ward-Prowse spoke about his England ambitions and how he intended to impress Lopetegui.

But the head coach does not see Ward-Prowse as one of his first-choice options. Last summer, Steidten and Moyes were divided on the midfielder. The technical director favoured Youssouf Fofana, who has since joined AC Milan from Monaco, but the board backed Moyes’ push for Ward-Prowse. A year on, the £30m spent on Ward-Prowse is looking like a less shrewd investment.

In July, a verbal offer of £15million for 33-year-old midfielder N’Golo Kante was rejected by Al Ittihad, who were looking for £25m, which West Ham deemed too high due to his lack of re-sale value.

Instead, West Ham swiftly moved on to 30-year-old midfielder Guido Rodriguez, who signed on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract at Real Betis. Rodriguez, a World Cup and two-time Copa America winner with Argentina, canvassed the thoughts of former West Ham midfielder Pablo Fornals before joining.

“The negotiation with West Ham was practically done in two days,” said Rodriguez. “I was in contact with Betis. They had problems being able to sign me due to La Liga’s salary limit, as happens to many teams in Spain. I didn’t know what could happen, and I thought I was going to continue at Betis.

“I was at the Copa America, involved with my national team in the tournament, and once it was over, I was on vacation. At times, it was difficult to disconnect with what was going to happen with my future. I didn’t know what was going to end up happening. Until two days before travelling (to London), I didn’t know what would happen — that’s the reality.”

Given the summer overhaul, West Ham needed to shift players who were surplus to requirements.

Nayef Aguerd joined Real Sociedad on a season-long loan having rejected a move to Bundesliga side Wolfsburg this week. The 28-year-old Moroccan defender had interest from clubs in the Saudi Pro League and Turkey but wanted to wait for the right offer. Aguerd’s performances had been inconsistent over his two-year spell in England.

Earlier in the window, it was determined Kurt Zouma, the former captain, no longer had a long-term future at the London Stadium. The centre-back’s deal to join United Arab Emirates side Shabab Al Ahli collapsed but West Ham gave him permission to remain abroad to secure an exit. He has since agreed a move to Al Orouba and is set to sign a two-year deal at the Saudi Pro League club.

Maxwel Cornet joined Southampton on loan. The Ivory Coast international signed from Burnley for £17.5million in August 2022 but struggled to make an impact at West Ham, with a paltry return of one goal across 37 appearances.

Andy Irving had interest from Celtic, St Pauli and Sturm Graz in the week leading up to deadline day. But Steidten and Lopetegui wanted to keep Irving for squad depth and the 24-year-old midfielder decided to stay.

Irving joined West Ham last summer but spent the season on loan at Austria Klagenfurt. In early July, Lopetegui was informed Irving had received loan offers from Espanyol and an unnamed German Bundesliga side, but the head coach felt Irving warranted an opportunity to impress in pre-season. Irving impressed in friendlies against Ferencvaros and Dagenham & Redbridge and will hope to make his competitive debut soon.

Danny Ings, now third-choice centre-forward, had no interest in dropping into the Championship but, with high wages, he failed to attract suitors on deadline day.

It was also an important window for the academy prospects.

George Earthy, 19, who won the club’s young-player-of-the-year award last season, joined Championship side Bristol City on a season-long loan. Freddie Potts, son of club legend Steve, joined Portsmouth on a similar basis, while Callum Marshall, Gideon Kodua, Patrick Kelly, Levi Laing, Krisztian Hegyi and Michael Forbes all made temporary moves to clubs in the EFL.

But the biggest coup for the academy was convincing Lewis Orford to sign a five-year deal.

In June, West Ham rejected Villa’s offer for the highly rated 18-year-old. West Ham’s £32million offer for Duran included Orford but was rejected. Thereafter, Mark Noble, the sporting director, and David Sullivan, the majority shareholder, prioritised Orford’s long-term future.

Noble spoke to Orford in the United States, with the midfielder having joined the first team on their pre-season tour. In Austria, Lopetegui told Orford, who was entering the final year of his deal, that he did not want him to leave. Those talks have succeeded.

It has been a collective effort by key figures at West Ham this summer, but Steidten should be singled out. Even without the carrot of European football this season, he attracted high-profile players, convinced Lopetegui to join and supported Paqueta at his lowest ebb.

Although Lopetegui often says he does not want to put a limit on what West Ham can achieve, Steidten has given him the tools to become a success.

(Top photos: Getty Images)