Nickson Deal Ain’t Done Yet But West Ham Must Get This Right

By Kris Gonzo | Senior West Ham Columnist (Follow on X)

According to a report in the London Standard today, suggestions that former Newcastle head of recruitment Steve Nickson is on the cusp of becoming West Ham’s new Director of Football may be a touch premature.

Standard Sport understands that Nickson is merely one of a number of names in contention, with no deal yet agreed, which is rather different from the done-and-dusted version doing the rounds elsewhere.

Honestly, none of this should surprise anybody.

A Long Way From Done

Much of the North East press appear to have already waved Nickson off down the A1, and over the past day or so the coverage has read as though he has one foot out of St James’ Park.

The Standard’s wording tells a more cautious story.

“One of a number of names in contention” is journalese for nothing has been signed, and a man widely credited with the signings of Bruno Guimarães and Alexander Isak is not the sort to be prised away on a whim.

That said, I’d take Nickson in a heartbeat if West Ham could get it over the line, and as recently as a couple of days ago he looked like the clear favourite for the job.

Whoever It Is, Just Get It Done

I have to say, at this stage I’m not especially fussed whether the new Director of Football turns out to be Nickson or somebody else entirely.

What matters is that West Ham have had no sole individual responsible for recruitment since Kyle Macauley left the club in October 2025, and that vacancy has been sitting there ever since.

That is a long time to be without somebody with the authority to identify targets, agree fees and move things along, and it shows.

Rivals have been out of the starting blocks for weeks while Daniel Kretinsky carefully moves his pieces into place and edges his takeover towards completion.

I understand the caution. The Czech billionaire is right to get his ducks in a row before committing.

But the Championship waits for nobody, and several of our rivals are already getting their business done.

Time To Get A Wriggle On

Make no mistake, the appointment itself matters, but the timing matters every bit as much.

Nickson, or whoever it eventually turns out to be, needs to be at a desk and working the phones, not the subject of another week of will-he-won’t-he speculation.

At the moment, it feels very much like a case of get a wriggle on before the summer slips away.