West Ham United technical director Tim Steidten

Sun 6 October 2024 7:40, UK

Tim Steidten wanted now-Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler as the West Ham United boss before Julen Lopetegui was hired, according to the Sun on Sunday.

The newspaper reported on 6 October via its print edition (page 54) that Steidten had a few different candidates to replace David Moyes with Hurzeler on the list. However, he was "overruled" due to his age.

This has created frustration for Steidten, who is becoming tired of the board not considering his thoughts, causing his unhappiness.

The likes of Sergio Conceicao and Ruben Amorim were another two names on his shortlist but in the end, it was Lopetegui that was chosen.

Julen Lopetegui needs to prove the West Ham United board right West Ham underwent many changes during the summer window.

Of all the Premier League teams, the Hammers were one of the ones that changed the most.

It was evident that reinforcement was needed across the board, especially in their defence as they somehow ended up with the fourth-worst defensive record in the top flight last term.

Hence why, Max Kilman and Jean Clair-Todibo were both brought in [Florian Plettenberg, 9 August] during the transfer window to bolster their ranks.

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While the Hammers' start to the season hasn't been the best, it's evident to see what sort of style Lopetegui is trying to implement.

However, although they won their most recent Premier League game against Ipswich 4-1, if it wasn't for two ex-West Ham players in Ben Johnson and Kalvin Phillips, they'd not have won the clash by such a large margin.

The two players both had poor outings with Johnson even being slammed for his "terrible" defensive work by talkSPORT commentator Dave Rowe during the lead-up to one of the Hammers' goals.

The Spaniard needs to build on the momentum earned from the win and prove to the West Ham board that he was the correct manager to choose in the summer.

In other West Ham news, Ipswich supporters mocked the Hammers during their game while they were still on level terms.