West Ham to appoint to Steve Nickson as ex-Newcastle chief emerges as top sporting director candidate – Exclusive

West Ham United are ready to make Steve Nickson the club’s new sporting director, TEAMtalk can exclusively reveal, after holding positive talks with the former Newcastle United recruitment chief.

The Hammers are currently navigating a period of significant change both on and off the pitch. While the club’s ownership structure continues to be finalised, with Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky poised to take control from outgoing joint-chairman David Sullivan, plans are already being put in place for an immediate return to the Premier League following relegation.

Sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that Nickson is the man West Ham have identified to lead their recruitment operation as they prepare for life in the Championship.

Nickson has emerged ahead of several other highly-regarded candidates considered by the club, including Middlesbrough sporting director Kieran Scott, Brentford recruitment chief Lee Dykes and former Newcastle and Monaco man Paul Mitchell.

The highly-rated recruitment specialist recently brought an end to a 15-year spell at Newcastle United, where he finished as the club’s head of recruitment. During his time at St James’ Park, he earned a reputation as one of English football’s most astute talent spotters and played a key role in identifying numerous successful signings.

Despite his standing within Newcastle’s hierarchy, Nickson was overlooked on more than one occasion for the club’s sporting director position.

Now, West Ham are moving quickly to secure his services as they reshape their football structure ahead of a pivotal campaign.

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West Ham line up speedy Steve Nickson appointment

The planned appointment of Nickson comes amid wider changes behind the scenes.

Kretinsky has already increased his influence at the club and is expected to play a leading role in the next phase of West Ham’s development once his takeover is completed.

As we previously revealed, The Czech businessman was instrumental in ensuring Nuno Espirito Santo remained in charge when there were calls from within the existing ownership structure, led by Sullivan, to pursue a managerial change.

With Nuno set to lead the club’s promotion push, Nickson’s arrival is viewed as a major step in building a football operation capable of delivering an immediate return to the top flight.

One of his primary responsibilities will be constructing a squad tailored to Nuno’s demands and equipped to challenge for automatic promotion from the Championship at the first attempt.

West Ham believe Nickson’s extensive recruitment expertise, vast network of contacts and proven track record in talent identification can provide a significant advantage as they seek to bounce back from relegation and begin a new era under Kretinsky’s ownership.

During his 15 years at Newcastle, Nickson was heavily involved in a string of headline-grabbing transfers, including the arrivals of Bruno Guimaraes, Alexander Isak, Sven Botman, Sandro Tonali and former Magpies favourite Ayoze Perez.

Those deals helped establish Newcastle as one of the Premier League’s most admired operators in the transfer market and underlines why West Ham have turned to him at such a pivotal moment in the club’s history.

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