Whispered West Ham Transfer Pledge Looks Very Different Three Months Later

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

Way back in June, at the beginning of the summer transfer window, Claret & Hugh were informed: “West Ham will not buy from Jorge Mendes.”

Mendes, of course, is Nuno Espírito Santo’s friend and agent and historically somebody the Hammers boss has liked to source players through.

I have to confess, I took the declaration with a pinch of salt.

After all, West Ham had opted to retain Nuno as head coach, which surely meant Mendes would become involved in deals.

Looking back now, it appears I was wrong.

West Ham Wanted To Break The Favoured Agent Cycle

The new club structure was keen to move away from favoured agents and the kind of transfers which had seen Will Salthouse become too involved at West Ham.

The issue with Mendes was slightly different.

Firstly, the transfer of Pablo from Gil Vicente had raised more than a few eyebrows.

The young striker cost West Ham around €21m, yet C&H subsequently learned that only approximately €8m went to Gil Vicente.

West Ham fans love Pablo’s work rate and tenacity, but it was clear we’d overpaid for a player who had cost around €240,000 just six months earlier.

With Mendes’ Gestifute agency also involved in helping broker the move for Taty Castellanos, some well-placed observers outside the London Stadium began asking whether the Portuguese super-agent was using the Hammers as something of a cash cow.

With influence over Mateus Fernandes, Pablo, Taty and even the manager himself, it seems a decision was made to stop a move back towards the bad old days.

West Ham Had To Resist Temptation

West Ham had to resist temptation initially.

Early in the summer it was recommended that the Hammers sign a Brazilian and a Portuguese player, both of whom were on the Gestifute client list.

The new recruitment structure stood firm.

As the club awaited an answer from Steve Nickson on whether he’d accept the Director of Football role, West Ham were offered multiple Mendes clients.

But it was always the intention to let a recruitment specialist do the buying in the new Hammers structure.

That was why I felt the proposed appointment of Nickson mattered so much at the time. West Ham needed somebody responsible for building a squad rather than returning to a system where managers and favoured agents dictated recruitment.

Nickson ultimately didn’t arrive, but the principle remained.

Nils Koppen eventually took charge of recruitment and, as became increasingly obvious during the pursuit of Arne Engels, West Ham were prepared to back their recruitment structure rather than abandon the plan and simply take whichever player happened to be offered by an agent.

West Ham Were As Good As Their Word

There were certainly moments when I wondered whether the old habits would return.

The links to Mendes client Gustavo Sá had me worried that West Ham might be slipping straight back into the old routine.

But they didn’t.

And now, looking back at that June pledge not to get involved with favoured agents and instead buy the best players identified by the recruitment department, it appears West Ham’s new hierarchy were as good as their word.

Whether all of Nils Koppen’s signings ultimately succeed is another matter entirely.

But after years of watching West Ham talk about modernising recruitment only to fall back into familiar habits, the whispered promise I was given back in June actually appears to have been kept.