Tim Steidten's tenure as technical director at West Ham United did not go to plan. The summer of 2024 was disastrous; he helped appoint Julen Lopetegui as David Moyes' replacement. Hammers fans wanted an improvement on the style of play from the manager who had led the club to victory in the Europa Conference League.
Lopetegui was never going to play attractive soccer at the London Stadium. However, there was optimism when Steidten helped to bring in an array of signings. However, players such as Niclas Fullkrug, Max Kilman, and Luis Guilherme all turned out to be flops.
Not all of Steidten's signings were bad. Crysencio Summerville had been phenomenal for the Hammers after an injury-hit first campaign. Jean-Clair Todibo and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have both also been solid. Mohammed Kudus had moments of brilliance for the Hammers before he joined rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Also, Edson Alvarez was a good player for West Ham, but is now on loan at Fenerbahce.
A lot of Tim Steidten's recruitment at West Ham was poor
When Lopetegui was sacked, and Graham Potter came in, Steidten soon lost his job. Potter had his own head of recruitment, Kyle Macaulay, so Steidten was surplus to requirements. The Hammers needed a fresh start after Steidten's recruitment had not contributed much success.
Before becoming West Ham's technical director, Steidten had similar roles at both Bayer Leverkusen and Werder Bremen. He is now back in German soccer. Florian Plettenberg posted on X "Tim Steidten has signed until 2028 as Director of Squad Planning & Recruiting" with FC Koln, after he "turned down approaches from Saudi Arabia and the Premier League as he wants to return to the Bundesliga."
FC Koln are currently 14th in the Bundesliga, and just four points above the relegation places. He will not be able to contribute much this season, but the summer will be a big test for Steidten.