West Ham technical director Tim Steidten steps away from club’s training ground amid Julen Lopetegui rift

When he was appointed to the role in July 2023, this is how the club explained the position: "Steidten will be responsible for the Club's overarching player recruitment strategy and scouting department, working closely with Manager David Moyes and Sporting Director Mark Noble.

"The Technical Director role has been implemented as part of the Club’s continued growth strategy and comes at a key moment in West Ham United’s history, with the Hammers’ victory in the UEFA Europa Conference League earlier this month securing a third successive season in European competition."

The club were full of praise for Steidten after his arrival, saying: "One of the game’s most-admired football administrators, 44-year-old Steidten brings his own added experience of European football to East London, having previously fulfilled a similar role with Bayer 04 Leverkusen in his native Germany, at a time when the Hammers are enjoying a sustained period of success at both first team and Academy level.

"Arriving at Leverkusen from Werder Bremen in June 2019, Steidten was responsible for overseeing a pivotal period in the Club’s history, with his data-led approach to scouting yielding some immediate positive results in the transfer market, recruiting a number of unheralded gems, before nurturing them into highly-coveted stars.

"His arrival is set to complement the strong existing UEFA Europa Conference League winning squad on and off the pitch, with further significant experience and expertise."

Joint-Chair David Sullivan said at the time of Steidten's appointment: “Our goal when we became custodians of West Ham United and moved to London Stadium was to bring silverware to this incredible Club and to regularly compete in European football. We’ve enjoyed some fantastic times in recent seasons, and we aim to continue to grow and evolve across all areas of the Club. Tim’s appointment is key to our wider plans to drive our football strategy forward. We are delighted to welcome such a well-respected name in the game to the Club.”