‘Graham Potter handed huge West Ham transfer boost’ by new arrival
Graham Potter has been handed a “huge boost” by the departure of Tim Steidten at West Ham, according to the club’s former scout.
Mick Brown, who worked as a senior scout at the London Stadium before leaving alongside David Moyes in June, and remains very well-connected there, exclusively told Football Insider that the appointment of Kyle Macaulay is the “perfect” move.
He went on to explain that the club will reap the rewards of the decision in the transfer market following criticism of Steidten’s role as the technical director.
Both Moyes and Julen Lopetegui moved to ban the technical director from the training ground, while the former did not want him at the club to begin with.
Now, it was Potter’s decision which finally saw the club part ways with Steidten, with Macauley picked as his replacement due to his excellent relationship with the manager.
Macauley and Potter have previously worked together at Ostersund, Swansea, Brighton and Chelsea and is seen as a valuable member of his backroom staff.
Tim Steidten ‘was a pain in neck for everyone at West Ham’
Steidten had been a controversial figure during his time at the London Stadium, frequently undermining managers and kickstarting a power struggle with both Moyes and Steidten.
Brown, who has been very critical of the German and has a wealth of experience working closely with top managers including Moyes, Sir Alex Ferguson and Ron Atkinson, has insisted that Macauley’s arrival will be a benefit to everybody at the club.
“Steidten should never have been there in the first place,” he told Football Insider.
“Since then, he’s got rid of two managers and been a pain in the neck for everybody.
“Two managers banned him from the training ground.
“There was plenty of evidence from before his time at West Ham to suggest he never should’ve set foot there in the first place.
“I still think questions have to be asked of the chairman over that one.
“But Macauley coming in is going to be a huge boost for Potter because he knows him, he’s worked with him before, and he holds him in high regard.
“It’s not a divisive move like the Steidten one was.
“The key to these things being successful is having that mutual respect and working relationship between the manager and the head of recruitment.
“Because he has that relationship with Potter, it’s the prefect appointment really.
“I can only expect it will be a great benefit to West Ham when it comes to incoming transfers.”
Graham Potter playing key role in West Ham transfer strategy
Since his arrival at the beginning of January, Potter has already begun to play a key role in shaping the club’s transfer strategy and setting up a long-term plan.
Replacing Steidten with Macauley is the latest move towards implementing those plans, but ground work had already been laid during the mid-season window.
Football Insider revealed on 5 February that it was Potter who played a key role in bringing Evan Ferguson to the club on loan, having worked closely with him before.
The Republic of Ireland international became a key target for the Hammers to strengthen up front, and a conversation with Potter saw them pip rivals to his signature.
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