West Ham’s £22m Question As Koppen’s Signings Come Under Scrutiny

Following information received by Claret & Hugh from a football agent that West Ham’s biggest problem has been recruitment, I thought it would be worth taking a closer look at the summer business conducted under Director of Player Recruitment Nils Koppen.

The argument that West Ham’s entire recruitment process needs rebuilding from the ground up is certainly an interesting one, and appointing somebody to oversee that operation is an obvious starting point. Koppen is effectively operating as a director of football, even if his official job title is slightly different, and his work will be crucial to the club’s future.

For the purposes of this assessment, I’ve concentrated on five players I understand to have been Koppen’s choices. I’ve left out Manor Solomon, Joël Piroe and Morato, whom I understand were specifically wanted by Nuno Espírito Santo, along with Keiber Lamadrid, who was already at the club last season and whose recruitment I understand was driven by David Sullivan.

Koppen Had Little Time To Prepare

It’s worth remembering that Koppen was hardly afforded the luxury of a full summer to plan his first transfer window. He arrived at West Ham on 4 July and explained in an interview with the club’s official Iron Cast podcast that his usual recruitment planning had to be dramatically accelerated.

Koppen described putting together an 80-day plan focused on executing the summer window, when ideally he would have preferred a much longer period to assess players and prepare. That’s important context when judging the business, particularly given the number of players West Ham needed to bring in.

Nevertheless, the signings are now here, and we’ve had an opportunity to watch them. It’s probably too early to place too much emphasis on any individual player, but we can at least begin to assess what Koppen has delivered and what supporters might expect from his recruitment in January.

Joël Veltman – An Excellent Free Transfer

I’ll start with Joël Veltman, who I think has been a really solid signing. He brings bags of experience, understands the defensive side of the game and would currently be my choice as West Ham’s best right-back.

Given that he arrived on a free transfer, I struggle to see how anybody could argue against this deal. Veltman was particularly impressive during the second half against Cardiff City, and his composure could become increasingly important under Scott Parker.

For me, this was an absolute no-brainer and one of the clearest positives from Koppen’s summer business.

Adama Boiro – A Signing That Hasn’t Worked

Unfortunately, I think quite the opposite can be said about Adama Boiro. He was clearly some way down West Ham’s list of preferred targets, and his failure to establish himself suggests this particular recruitment decision hasn’t worked.

I’m prepared to give the club a little leeway because I genuinely believe they expected El Hadji Malick Diouf to remain at West Ham for this campaign. That would have changed the urgency surrounding the left-back position and perhaps explains why the eventual recruitment looked rather improvised.

What is clear is that Nuno Espírito Santo didn’t appear to consider Boiro good enough for regular first-team football. I’d also be very surprised if he manages to break into Scott Parker’s starting XI, and therefore it’s difficult to regard his arrival as a good signing.

Divine Mukasa – An Astute Piece Of Business

Divine Mukasa is a completely different proposition, and I think bringing him in on loan from Manchester City was an astute move. He’s clearly an exceptionally talented young footballer, and I believe there’s considerably more to come from him.

We’ve already seen glimpses of his ability, particularly during the comeback against Cardiff, when he scored and helped transform West Ham’s attacking play. He has the imagination and technical ability to make things happen, which is something this team has lacked far too often.

I actually think Mukasa could be one of the biggest beneficiaries of Parker having time to implement his ideas. Of course, the obvious downside is that he’s only on loan, but that doesn’t diminish the quality of the original recruitment decision.

Edvin Austbø – A Very Promising Investment

Edvin Austbø is another player I think has enormous potential. The overall package was just under €15 million, but he’s on relatively modest wages, which is an important consideration when assessing the total cost of a transfer.

I’ve been encouraged by his directness, willingness to take on defenders and ability to make things happen. He looked particularly lively against Blackburn, and I was surprised when Parker decided to replace him with Manor Solomon.

There’s still plenty of development required, but that’s hardly surprising given his age. Austbø looks like a genuinely promising player, and if he continues improving, this could turn out to be an excellent piece of business.

His arrival also reflects the sort of recruitment markets Koppen knows well, with West Ham looking beyond the more obvious and expensive options for emerging talent.

Arne Engels – West Ham’s Biggest Question Mark

Last but certainly not least is Arne Engels, the player from whom most is expected, and rightly so. At a reported £22 million, he became the most expensive signing in Championship history, so it’s perfectly reasonable to expect something special.

Nuno clearly liked him, and I suspect Parker will appreciate his qualities too. However, I’m still undecided about exactly what sort of player Engels is and what he does particularly well.

I would expect the most expensive player ever purchased in the Championship to excel at something, and I’m not entirely convinced Engels does. He’s a bit of an all-rounder, with bags of energy, decent passing ability and a willingness to get stuck in, but I’m still waiting to see that outstanding quality which justifies the fee.

That’s not to say he’s a bad player, because he certainly isn’t. He scored an excellent goal against Cardiff and has shown enough to suggest he could develop into a very useful midfielder, but I don’t yet know whether he’s the exceptional player West Ham paid exceptional money to acquire.

Indeed, if I could keep either Engels or Mukasa at the club next season, at this moment I’d actually choose Mukasa. That might change over the coming months, but it’s an indication of where I currently stand on the two players.

The Jury Is Still Out On Nils Koppen

Overall, I think it’s fair to say Koppen’s first batch of signings has been a mixed bag. Veltman looks excellent value, Mukasa and Austbø have considerable potential, Boiro has been disappointing and Engels remains something of an unknown quantity.

However, I don’t believe we can reasonably judge somebody who is, for all intents and purposes, operating as a director of football after just one transfer window. Particularly not when he arrived with so little preparation time and was working alongside a manager who has since been dismissed.

I wouldn’t call Koppen’s recruitment a success or a failure at this stage. The jury is very much still out, and there’s every possibility that Austbø, Engels and Mukasa could enjoy excellent November and December performances under Parker.

If that happens, Koppen’s summer business could look considerably better by January without West Ham signing another player. Equally, if those players fail to develop, the questions surrounding his recruitment will become more difficult to ignore.

For now, it’s a case of watch this space. Koppen has made some encouraging decisions and some questionable ones, but his work deserves to be judged over a much longer period than a single summer transfer window.