Daniel Kretinsky set to seal big off-field West Ham appointment as ex-Rangers figure nears | OneFootball

West Ham are close to securing their new head of player recruitment

West Ham are preparing for life in the Championship after coming 18th in the Premier League.

The Hammers were two points adrift of 17th place Tottenham Hotspur, with 39 points proving not enough to keep their top flight status.

The London outfit haven’t competed in the Championship since 2012, when Sam Allardyce led the team to promotion through the play-offs.

Nuno Espírito Santo will be hoping to repeat that success this year, and he has previous experience of the division when he won the title with Wolves in 2018.

The club’s preparation for the new campaign has led to a lot of speculation surrounding player exits, such as Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville.

But West Ham will also be keen to add players to their squad during the transfer market in order to bolster their chances of gaining automatic promotion in 2027.

West Ham set to appoint recruitment chief

Action Images

It was reported on Friday afternoon by Sky Sports (15.28) that West Ham are closing in on the appointment of Nils Koppen as their new director of player recruitment.

The 40-year-old is set to make the switch from Copenhagen, where he has been their technical director since March.

He previously held the role of head of scouting with the Danish giants, and also worked at Rangers as their technical director.

This will be his first foray into English football, where he is expected to lead West Ham’s player recruitment strategy.

It’s been claimed that his role will not quite be the same as a sporting director, which is effectively being split between him and Mark Noble.

The former West Ham midfielder will oversee the decision-making process on contract renewals, as well as academy and player issues.

This will leave Koppen the responsibility of securing additions to Espirito Santo’s squad, with the Irons aiming to earn promotion next season.

West Ham will be keen to make this appointment quickly in order to kickstart their summer business.

The Hammers were linked with Steve Nickson, but the former Newcastle head of recruitment has instead opted to move to Championship rivals Wrexham.

West Ham will also likely conclude major sales before pushing for any incomings, with Fernandes’ future up in the air.

The midfielder has been linked with Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, and has been given a valuation of £80 million.

Meanwhile, Summerville has been given a £50 million price tag amid interest from the Red Devils.

Action Images

West Ham’s Nils Koppen appointment can get their summer started

A lot of West Ham’s transfer business so far this summer has been focused on player exits, which is natural after going down.

But Koppen’s arrival can now turn their attention to potential arrivals, which is needed given we are almost in July and players will be returning for pre-season soon.

There are a lot of changes going on behind the scenes at the London Stadium, and it’s a disruptive time, but Koppen coming in should bring some stability.

He’s an experienced technical director from his time at both Copenhagen and Rangers, and he will have the benefit of being able to work closely with Noble to get a good understanding of West Ham as a club, so this could be a promising appointment for the Hammers.