West Ham: Graham Potter addresses Tim Steidten role after Julen Lopetegui tension | OneFootball

New Hammers boss is sure he can work harmoniously alongside under-pressure technical director as he preaches need for unity

New West Ham boss Graham Potter says he is “absolutely” ready to work with Tim Steidten, but stressed the need for “alignment” across the club following tension between the technical director and the two previous managers.

The final days of Lopetegui’s reign were marred by reports of a breakdown in relations with Steidten, who decided to step back from the club’s training ground earlier this week.

A similar situation unfolded at the end of David Moyes’s tenure last season, when Steidten was told to stay away from Rush Green and the first-team environment while leading the search for the Scot’s successor.

Steidten is himself under growing external scrutiny over the club’s recent recruitment, with some reports suggesting that he could soon follow Lopetegui out of the door. Potter, however, expects to work alongside the 45-year-old.

“Yes, absolutely,” he said, when asked whether he could have a positive working relationship with Steidten.

“I've only been here a few minutes, hours, so you've got to give me a bit of time to develop relationships. But I can only say from the last 12, 13 years of my career, that's what I've tried to do everywhere I've gone.

“It's important that we have that togetherness, that alignment, that we're going in the same direction. As soon as you start going off in different ways, the Premier League is ruthless. So, the more together we are, the more aligned we are, the better.”

Potter had been linked with the West Ham job on more than one occasion in the past, including last month, when Lopetegui appeared to be on the brink of the sack before embarking on a four-game unbeaten run.

Initial reports this week suggested that Potter may only be handed a six-month deal until the end of the season - similar to that given to Moyes during his first stint at the club - but negotiations eventually concluded with the former Chelsea boss signing a two-and-a-half year contract.

“I'm not going to comment on private conversations and all that process,” Potter said. “The thing I would say is, after speaking with the board, after speaking with the chairman, vice-chairman, members of the board, it felt like there was a real belief in me, a trust in me.

“It was reflected in the contract, which is where we are today. And now I'm really just trying to earn that trust, repay that trust, that faith and to do a good job here.”