The uneasy three-way tug of war created by Tim Steidten’s ‘technical director’ status alongside Julen Lopetegui first, then Graham Potter’s head coach role with third protagonist Chairman David Sullivan was ended when Steidten left the club on Tuesday 4th. The club statement at that time confirmed:
“West Ham United Football Club can confirm that Technical Director Tim Steidten will be leaving the Club. Tim has been instrumental in our recruitment efforts.With the arrival of our new Head Coach Graham Potter, who has brought in his own Head of Recruitment, it is time for Tim to pursue new opportunities. “.
Less than two days later the first report appears courtesy of footboom1.com with a headline suggesting that ‘West Ham considers Director of Football Appointment’. The report details:
“In the interim, some of Steidten’s duties will be assumed by Macaulay, while Mark Noble, the club’s sporting director, is poised to help manage the transition after the German’s departure. However, it is understood that the club will explore the option of appointing a director of football eventually, having already pinpointed several potential candidates both domestically and internationally.”
It will be interesting to see if this story grows in the coming days and weeks and whether candidates emerge: Quite what the brief of a ‘Director of Football’ will be remains to be reported.
The obvious possibility is that West Ham are being lined up to create a reunion between head coach Graham Potter and former Brighton Technical Director and Manchester United Sporting Director Dan Ashworth.
But I do stress that maybe me just adding two plus two and creating twenty five.
Worked well with Potter: Former Brighton Technical Director and Manchester United Sporting Director Dan Ashworth: currently a free agent.
Ashworth and Potter worked successfully at Brighton – Manchester United and Ashworth parted company in December 2024 since when, Dan Ashworth has been a free agent. Potter speaking to sky sports.com in October 2024 said:
“I don’t know anything about the context of Manchester United but my experience of Dan at Brighton was he was very supportive. He would challenge at the right time, but want to help and be there for you. Football clubs have to create conditions for coaches to be successful.”
One to watch.
I certainly hope the club brings Ashworth in. Here’s just some of the players he recruited at Brighton and Newcastle:-
Tariq Lamptey, Anthony Gordon, Marc Cucurella, Kaoru Mitoma, Nick Pope, Evan Ferguson, Leandro Trossard, Alexis Mac Allister, Alexander Isak, and Moises Caicedo.
Moises Caicedo brought for £4 million, sold to Chelsea for £115 million. Kaoru Mitoma brought for £2.6 million, just had bid rejected for £54 million, Alexander Isak brought for £63 million, now valued at over £100 million, Leandro Trossard brought for £15 million, sold for £27 million. Marc Cucurella brought for £15 million, sold for £62 million.
He also brought Evan Ferguson from Bohemians to Brighton for a nominal fee. He obviously made some mistakes too at Man Utd, but not a bad record!
I thought Ashworth had a decent head on him as he’d obviously done well at Brighton and was behind bringing in some decent players at Newcastle (how we could do with an Alexander Isak leading the line…) and considering Man Utd paid a reported £3-5m on recruiting him then he must’ve shown something to those in the game…
But then I read he’d been relieved of his duties at Utd because he was apparently insistent on them bringing Gareth Southgate in and was unhappy with Ruben Amorim being appointed which made me seriously question the guy’s judgement.
Jokes aside though, he obviously works well with Potter and Macauley and he’s available on a free. He understands the English game and wouldn’t upset the apple cart so be worth bringing in and could hit the ground running.
why would he want to work for sullivan?
I would promote Noble. Bleeds claret and blue and would make sure the kids get a chance.
How long before this site if they do get Ashworth starts doing posts about how poor the signings are, the waste of money, rumblings of discontent behind the scenes. No matter who you have as your DOF Sullivan still has control of the purse strings still has the final decision if the transfer proceed or not and when’s things go wrong as the do in football who does he look to take the blame because he’ll never own up but the manager, or the DOF , Pat the tea lady. We’ll start seeing these post on this site as night follow day.
Would definitely be the way I would go and the one I would get in. Worked wonders at Brighton, the players he brought in for next to nothing should hopefully appeal to Sullivan. Knows Potter and Macauly. We hear the board want to work like the Brighton model so what better way than to get them in. You’ve already got 2 of the 3 and won’t have to pay any compensation as Ashworth is a free agent.