The transfer starting gun hasn’t yet been fired but teams both domestic and international are getting their main moves ready: [West Ham a](https://www.claretandhugh.info/west-ham-itk-reveals-towering-wonderkid-transfer-target/)pproach the summer window with a recruiting team short of a technical director – whatever the title – a ‘closer’. With Potter and Macaulay not having completed deals themselves the club will be reliant again on Chairman David Sullivan to get the transfers over the line in the summer rebuild.
Things were so different twelve months ago: Tim Steidten was spending millions of the club’s money on players: £140 million in total with the Todibo deal and the Wan’ Bissaka ‘steal’ probably the hindsight highlights. Fullkrug’s transfer has already been the subject of enough comment without rehashing it all today.
According to In-The-Know Journo [Fabrizio Romano](https://x.com/FabrizioRomano) today, Tim Steidten is heading back to top-tier football:
_“Barcelona in talks with Tim Steidten to add former West Ham director to their management team”._
In his gloriously selective tweet Romano credits Steidten with the signing of ‘_Florian Wirtz, Frimpong and Kudus among others”_ and of course doesn’t mention his mate paying double the going rate for Fullkrug or Guilherme.
Another ‘Marmite’ character, Steidten exhibited great skills in ‘closing’ deals but showed poor judgement (at best) when overpaying for some West Ham recruits. Unsurprisingly he was fired and left a legacy of a disastrously- mismatched squad at London Stadium in January, although Julen Lopetegui’s “picks” last summer were equally calamitous.
This move to Barca will be the classic case of ‘failing upwards’ in true Vincent Kompany style.
Some clubs would be looking over their shoulder lest a former Director come back for players signed during his tenure: I suspect West Ham would be delighted if Steidten came calling with a Barcelona hat on ( And Barca cash this time) for Alvarez, Kudus or Niclas Fullkrug!