I’ll be honest, my first reaction yesterday morning was probably the same as most — a bit of shock.
The idea that West Ham are unlikely to appoint a director of football if we stay in the Premier League just feels like more of the same. We’ve been here before. Too often the club has relied on favoured agents and David Sullivan to get deals done, and let’s be honest, that approach has failed more than it’s worked.
But a post in the comments section this morning from Haribo made me aware that not everyone shares the same opinion. “I don’t understand this system with DOF heading recruitment surely the manager has to have full responsibility otherwise he can’t be held to account for poor performance.”
It’s a decent shout of course but something I find frustrating because West Ham seemed so close to operating under a more modern structure.
West Ham’s recent recruitment hinted at a smarter model
Because in recent months, it did feel like something had shifted.
Most Read on West Ham News
The arrivals of Mateus Fernandes, El Hadji Malik Diouf and Mohamadou Kanté looked like a move towards a more modern approach — younger players, increased transfer value, proper squad building. And in those three cases, it’s been a job well done.
So naturally, hearing that West Ham could scrap that direction and hand things over to Nuno Espírito Santo and Jorge Mendes didn’t exactly fill me with confidence.
But — and this is where it gets interesting — not everyone sees it that way.
Will West Ham use max again? Max Hahn produces the data – but is not in charge of recruitment
Nuno’s January window gives West Ham something to think about
If we’re being fair, you can make a decent case that January actually worked.
Four players came in — Axel Disasi, Adama Traoré, Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe — and there’s been an impact there.
Disasi looks like a top signing. If Nuno had him from the start of the season, I genuinely think we’d be in a much better position. Adama Traoré was clearly a player Nuno wanted, and now he’s starting to show why — at £2m, that could end up looking like a bargain.
Castellanos is an interesting one. He’s not spectacular at anything, but he improves the team. There’s energy there, there’s workrate, and West Ham look better with him in the side.
And then there’s Pablo…
The Pablo deal still raises serious questions
I won’t dress it up — a rumoured £21m with only around £8m going to the selling club doesn’t sit right with me at all. It feels like one of those deals where we’ve had our pants pulled down if I’m honest.
That said, even with that in mind, you can’t ignore what he’s brought to the pitch. The energy, the effort, the willingness to run — it’s all coincided with an upturn in form.
So where does that leave things?
Because while my instinct is still that West Ham need structure, need a proper footballing hierarchy, the reality is the last window does give Nuno and Mendes a bit of a case.
What this means for West Ham’s next transfer window
This is where it gets properly divisive.
Do you stick with a manager-led, agent-driven model that’s just delivered a decent window? Or do you try and build something more sustainable with a director of football?
I know where I lean, but I can see both sides of it I guess.
I’ll leave that one with you — because whether Nuno and Mendes running transfers next season is a good thing or not probably depends on how much you trust what we’ve just seen.