The biggest piece of West Ham news yesterday centred around a report suggesting that the Hammers are looking to appoint a successor to Kyle Macaulay.
The rather concerning story claimed that club bosses plan to hire a new director of football or head of recruitment to “try and convince” players to sign in January.
Now, aside from the subliminal message that West Ham have become an unattractive prospect, the story highlights the club’s consistent recruitment failings. Therefore, it might be a case of better late than never to appoint someone to oversee the muddled transfer policy at the London Stadium.
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However, when Claret & Hugh approached a reliable source to ask whether West Ham had genuinely put the feelers out to hire a new head of recruitment, we were given a stark reality check: “No, that’s not true at all.”
Our source continued, “He [Sullivan] wants the manager to choose the players.”
When we pointed out the reports of the club searching for a new recruitment chief, we were told, “Sullivan has been advised to appoint someone to oversee transfers, but he won’t do it.”
It’s understood that Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo, along with agent Jorge Mendes, will have significant input in who the club sign. With West Ham looking odds-on for relegation, this could be the most important January transfer window in recent memory.