For years now West Ham United have been the Premier League’s proverbial sleeping giant, but technical director, Tim Steidten, is waking the East Londoners up in a big way.
A battle of wills that developed between the German and David Moyes last season was only going to see one winner and, for once, the Hammers made the right decision.
For all of Moyes’ success at the London Stadium – lest we forget he brought the club its first major trophy in over four decades – his was a style of play that had begun to look stale and moribund in today’s game.
Tim Steidten has worked wonders for West Ham
Steidten had already proved his worth in the transfer market by then, landing Edson Alvarez, Mo Kudus and others last summer, but in the current transfer window, the 45-year-old has surpassed himself.
Max Kilman, Crysencio Summerville, Guido Rodriguez, Niclas Fullkrug, Luis Guilherme have all put pen to paper, with an announcement expected soon on Jean-Clair Todibo and Aaron Wan-Bissaka hopefully added before the deadline.
That’s a sensational haul in anyone’s book, let alone for a West Ham side that are not even in Europe don’t forget.
If each player can reach their expected level, then the Champions League in 2025/26 will no longer be a pipe dream but a realistic aim.
With Julen Lopetegui having replaced Moyes at the helm too, Hammers fans can expect a return to the free-flowing attacking football that was always the hallmark of Irons teams of yesteryear.
If the season does end successfully for the East Londoners, it’ll be the Spaniard that takes the plaudits, but no one should forget that without the nous of Tim Steidten, the club would likely be ambling into another campaign in hope rather than expectation.
