‘Steidten on 3rd West Ham strike with Potter after Lopetegui and Moyes clashes’
Tim Steidten will find his future at West Ham questioned if he fails to develop a working relationship with Graham Potter.
After days of rumour and speculation that left few impressed with the way they acted, the Hammers finally confirmed on Wednesday (8 January) that they have sacked Julen Lopetegui.
Former Chelsea and Brighton manager Graham Potter is the man to replace the Spaniard in the dugout at the London Stadium.
But if Steidten finds himself in a difficult position when it comes to his connection with the 49-year-old, many will no doubt question the technical director’s own position at West Ham.
Tim Steidten cannot afford another managerial falling out at West Ham
It appears as though Lopetegui left the Hammers under a cloud when it came to his relationship with Steidten.
According to a report from The Times, while the West Ham technical director and his now-former manager were initially inseparable, the pair subsequently fell out.
Indeed it is stated that it was Lopetegui who asked Steidten to stay away from the club’s training ground in the past week, and this is not the first time such a situation has developed.
There were also claims that Steidten was asked to stay away by the Spaniard’s predecessor at the London Stadium, David Moyes, who left last summer, just a year after the German joined the club (The Guardian).
All of that does not paint a positive picture about the technical director’s current impact and influence at West Ham.
The Hammers have of course been underwhelming since he arrived in the summer of 2023, finishing ninth last season and now dropping to 14th in the current Premier League table.
Beyond that though, Steidten has now had some considerable issues with both managers he has worked alongside at the club.
If that becomes the case again with Potter, falling out with three managers will surely generate a belief that Steidten is a major issue behind-the-scenes at West Ham.
Given all three managers will have varying personalities, if the technical director struggles to work with all of them, many will surely feel that he is the one that is hard to work with at the club.
It is vital for the manager to be in the right environment to get positive results for West Ham after these recent struggles.
A repeat of the Moyes and Lopetegui situations would highlight Steidten’s relationship with managers as a recurring issue at the club, that would need to be dealt in the interest of any Hammers manager.
In many issues, a third strike that problems with Potter would represent for the 45-year-old, would no doubt be enough to ensure he himself is the one on the way out.
With that in mind, Steidten surely has to find a way to make things work with Potter in the interests of his own future, as well as those of the club.
In other news, West Ham have opened talks to sign a midfielder in the January transfer window.
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