Kyle Macaulay’s move to Manchester United as Head of Senior Scouting is yet another damning indictment of West Ham’s muddled recruitment strategy.
Let’s get this straight: the club paid Chelsea £1m in compensation to bring Macaulay to East London because Graham Potter specifically wanted him as part of his team. Months later, Potter was sacked and now Macaulay is off to Old Trafford, with the Hammers left out of pocket and out of ideas.
It’s baffling. Why would you invest heavily in a backroom hire, then over-promote him, push him into negotiating contracts with agents (which isn’t his skill set), and leave him unsupervised because you’ve also decided to part ways with Football Director Tim Steidten… and not replace him?
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This isn’t just a case of losing a decent operator — it’s symbolic of a wider lack of football structure at the club.
And to make matters worse, there’s growing evidence that Macaulay actually spotted some very promising talent. The signings of Mateus Fernandes and Malick Diouf are already looking smart. Soungoutou Magassa was another Macaulay pick — and if he turns out to be a hit too, it only underlines what we’ve just given away to a direct rival.
At Manchester United, Macaulay will be reporting into Christopher Vivell, part of a clear hierarchy with defined roles. That’s exactly what should have happened at West Ham — but instead we’ve ended up with a talented scout discarded after poor internal planning, all while paying seven figures for the privilege.
This isn’t bad luck. It’s bad management. And if we keep operating like this, we’ll continue to fall behind.