West Ham Online

"if i'm being honest, i'd say that we won that trophy despite the dinosoar, not because of him."

Yes he won us a trophy......Thanks Dave! But the following season we conceded 74 yes 74 goals in the Premier League. I read somewhere that we haven't conceded that many goals in a league campaign since the mid 60's. And yet he prides himself on being a defensive Coach. Hopefully Loppy and Tim bring something different to the West Ham table. COYI

Great article on Steidten. Thanks Alan.

Cheers…

"Thanks Alan 2:39 Thu Aug 15 Wow those Sky Sports Moyes stats sting don't they.... and Merson contracted by Sky still thought we should keep him, he's such a moron!"

Thanks Alan

"BBC Napoli have opened talks with Manchester United over the potential signing of Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay, 27, and would prefer a loan deal. (Times - subscription required) Manchester United are expecting formal bids for 32-year-old Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen, who has one year left on his contract. (Sky Sports) Napoli are also close to signing 23-year-old Scotland midfielder Billy Gilmour from Brighton. (Corriere dello Sport - in Italian) Chelsea are back in talks with Napoli over a move for 25-year-old Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen. (Talksport) Napoli boss Antonio Conte, who used to manage Chelsea, wants Belgium forward Romelu Lukaku, 31, and 21-year-old Italian midfielder Cesare Casadei as part of the Osimhen transfer. (Sun) Paris St-Germain are cooling their interest in 24-year-old England and Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho and are also considering pulling out of the race to sign Osimhen. (i - subscription required) West Ham have set their sights on a deal for Roma's Tammy Abraham with the Serie A club willing to sell the 26-year-old England striker for £25m. (Gazzetta dello Sport via Football Italia) Arsenal are prepared to be patient in their pursuit of Mikel Merino after the Gunners' initial offer for the 28-year-old Spain midfielder was rejected by Real Sociedad. (Guardian) Ipswich are poised to sign Sweden midfielder Jens Cajuste on a season-long loan from Napoli after Brentford pulled out of a deal for the 25-year-old. (Gianluca Di Marzio - in Italian) Tottenham are poised to sell more players before the transfer window shuts as head coach Ange Postecoglou whittles down his squad to those who fit his style of football. (Telegraph - subscription required) Saudi Pro League side Al-Qadsiah have offered 28-year-old England striker Ivan Toney an annual salary of £15.4m and a three-year deal in an attempt to entice him to leave Brentford. (Footmercato - in French) Wolves are considering 27-year-old Brentford and Congo forward Yoanne Wissa as a potential attacking reinforcement. (Telegraph) Aston Villa are working on a deal to sign 19-year-old Colombia defender Yeimar Mosquera from Orsomarso SC in his country's top flight. (Athletic - subscription required) Serie A side Bologna are interested in a loan move for Chelsea's English defender Trevoh Chalobah, 25. (La Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian) Former Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino, 52, is close to becoming the next manager of the United States men's football team. (Mirror) Sky Paper Talk THE GUARDIAN Arsenal are prepared to be patient in their pursuit of Mikel Merino after their initial offer for the Spain midfielder was rejected by Real Sociedad. Mounir Nasraoui, the father of the Barcelona and Spain winger Lamine Yamal, was reportedly stabbed late on Wednesday in a car park in the north-eastern Spanish town of Matar??, La Vanguardia newspaper stated, citing official sources familiar with the matter. An official from the World Anti-Doping Agency assisted in a controversial investigation by the US Anti-Doping Agency which involved recruiting athletes to provide information on potential dopers, the Guardian understands. A new detail has emerged in the battle over Jordan Chiles's Olympic bronze medal, a saga which has overshadowed a thrilling gymnastics competition at the Paris Games. THE TELEGRAPH Arsenal have made contact with Real Sociedad over midfielder Mikel Merino as they step up their attempts to sign the Spain international. Diego Simeone personally assured Conor Gallagher that he remains desperate for the midfielder to sign for Atletico Madrid before Gallagher boarded his flight back to London. Manchester United are ready to give Jadon Sancho the chance to fight for his career at Old Trafford as Paris Saint-Germain are unlikely to bid for the winger. Eddie Hearn is open to offering Olympic gender-row boxer Imane Khelif a professional contract after the Algerian's gold medal in Paris, based on ""talent"" and ""commercial appeal"". A trial date has been set for next year after a South African man was accused of racially abusing the former England international Ugo Monye following an Exeter Chiefs match. Premier League managers told Howard Webb in a private meeting last month that they did not want the new-season innovation of referees announcing VAR decisions live on-mic to crowds in stadiums and the proposal has been dropped. Jofra Archer hit back at social media critics of his frustrating injury record, saying ""I'll do whatever I can to stay on the park and if it's not enough I'll simply retire"" in a series of since-deleted tweets. THE TIMES Napoli have opened talks with Manchester United over the potential signing of Scott McTominay. Liverpool have stepped up their interest in the Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, although he would not replace Alisson as the club's No1 this season. Napoli have stepped up their efforts to sign Romelu Lukaku by offering the Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen to Chelsea as part of a proposed deal. An American sprinter who finished fourth in the Olympic 200m final last week is facing a four-year ban - despite being initially cleared to compete at the Games. DAILY MIRROR Arsenal chief Edu has been in Spain this week as he looks to finalise the signing of 28-year-old Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino. Peter Schmeichel claims Erik ten Hag must improve Manchester United because the Premier League is their bread and butter. Paris Saint-Germain have won the race to sign Desire Doue. Barcelona are in a precarious financial position but have not yet entered into any talks with Manchester United over Frenkie de Jong. DAILY MAIL Liverpool have stepped up their talks to sign Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili. Napoli have reportedly stepped up moves for Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay. Rio Ferdinand has told Manchester United not to bring Ivan Toney to the club, citing the Brentford star's profile as being 'wrong' after the striker was linked with a move to Old Trafford. Sky West Ham's powershift thrusts Tim Steidten to the fore - can they do a Bayer Leverkusen? Lewis Jones Football Journalist West Ham’s mantra for the season can be best described is four words – In Steidten We Trust. The club is embarking on a new era where a shift in power has happened at the top. One that has got tongues wagging. The incomings are an exciting bunch. Luis Guilherme, Max Kilman, Crysencio Summerville, Niclas Fullkrug, Guido Rodriguez, Jean-Clair Todibo and Aaron Wan-Bissaka. If trophies were awarded for winning transfer windows, West Ham would be up and running for the season. Technical director Tim Steidten - the man you've seen welcoming the new array of talent through the door at West Ham this summer - has been given the keys to the club by owner David Sullivan. He is effectively running the football club. This is a big moment for West Ham - a club that have found themselves playing catch-up when it comes to the brains department behind the scenes at football clubs. West Ham have moved towards a more European-based model. The manager at West Ham is usually the decision maker. Now it's Steidten, who is an experienced and sophisticated analyst when it comes to scouting and creating environments for players to thrive and one who embraces a data-led approach. He is a culture creator. Having worked his way up to director of football in 2017 at Werder Bremen, where he managed to sign Kevin De Bruyne on loan from Chelsea at one stage, he was snapped up by Bayer Leverkusen in 2019 and became their technical director in 2022. The building blocks he put in place before his departure for West Ham in the summer of 2023, including hiring Xabi Alonso and unearthing talent like Florian Wirtz, undoubtedly played a huge role in Leverkusen being able to topple Bayern Munich and win the domestic double last season as they defied the odds. His role at West Ham differs slightly to Leverkusen in that he's playing an even more significant and leading role to the running of the club. In the dug-out, David Moyes has gone, replaced by Julen Lopetegui. West Ham had a safe pair of hands in Moyes, who arguably oversaw the club's most successful period by winning the Europa Conference League - their first major trophy for 43 years. Despite the success though, behind the scenes a power struggle between Steidten and Moyes last season was rumbling. Transfers and playing style were the big issues. Moyes wanted the final say on transfers. That's a bit of an issue when Steidten was hired to perform that exact role. It led to clashes and differences of opinions. There was confusion around transfer targets in January with Moyes blocking some moves for players and Steidten having issues with the Scot pushing so hard to sign Kalvin Phillips on loan from Manchester City and an unwillingness to explore the European market. Steidten was also pushing Moyes to employ a more expansive style of football, too - something that was demanded from large sections of the supporter base. ""Maybe there would be managers who excite them more - but the one who is sitting here wins more,"" Moyes suggested after a defeat at Nottingham Forest in February. But the fans were voting with their feet. Not only were they turning against the style, they were turning away from going to matches. Ticket take-ups were down towards the end of last season and there were worries that season ticket renewals would be affected if Moyes was to remain at the helm. The relationship became so strained that towards the end of the campaign, Moyes banned Steidten from the training ground. A decision that went down badly with the ownership. A straw that broke the camel's back, perhaps. To move forward, owner Sullivan had to back one of them - and chose the German. Lopetegui was hired by Sullivan but was hand-picked by Steidten, who was eyeing someone completely comfortable in the job of a head coach, being able to align with the football philosophy and was happy to leave the recruitment largely down to the technical director, albeit with the sign-off of the head coach. Lopetegui was that man. The Spaniard and Steidten have already developed a very close working relationship, with Steidten leading the way with the impressive recruitment drive, jetting around Europe to personally convince players that West Ham's ambition can match theirs. This was the case when he flew to Nice to speak to Todibo after hearing a move was possible because Juventus couldn't find an agreement with the player. Steidten managed to finalise a loan with a £35m option to buy. He also played a key role in the signings of Mohamed Kudus last summer and the capture of striker Fullkrug, who said: ""I have been thinking about West Ham for a long time now - I know the technical director Tim Steidten very well, because we have history at Werder Bremen together, and I have watched some games and seen how much quality there is in the team."" Steidten's ability to sell the West Ham dream is made easier by having Lopetegui on board. This is a coach with Premier League experience but someone eager to show what he can do with greater resources. At West Ham, he finds a club keen to embrace a new way and appetite for a more progressive style of play. Lopetegui's record, particularly in Spain, suggests that he can deliver that. At Wolves, the style of football was seen as pragmatic but Lopetegui would point to the dire circumstances when he arrived and the eventual results achieved where he galvanised a team bottom at Christmas and five points from safety to a smooth survival. A truer reflection of his preferred style of play on the pitch could be seen in his three years at Sevilla. One Europa League and three consecutive top-four finishes show that it worked where an emphasis on possession and playing a higher defensive line made Sevilla an exciting prospect to watch. Music to West Ham's fans ears, no doubt. The ceiling of achievement and excitement is higher under Lopetegui but this change in aspirations comes attached with risk, especially in a Premier League stacked with such quality. ""West Ham have got to be careful what they wish for,"" blasted Sky Sports' Paul Merson on the day it was announced Moyes was leaving. ""I'm not saying it'll happen overnight, what happened to Charlton, but I remember many years ago when I played, their fans were asking to get rid of Alan Curbishley, saying it was boring, middle of the table, they wanted to kick on. ""They've never been seen since. This manager is top, top drawer. They won a European trophy! It's just madness. ""I wouldn't have got rid of him in a month of Sundays. You'll get West Ham fans coming back, saying this and that, throwing every stat in the world. But I'll just throw you the biggest stat of them all. He. Won. You. A. Trophy."" So, will this be the start of the next Charlton? Or perhaps the next Leverkusen? West Ham have put faith in Steidten. It's time to trust him."