West Ham chief breaks silence on Liverpool links as Klopp exit plan ramped up

West Ham’s technical director Tim Steidten has spoken out about rumours of Liverpool ‘contact’. Despite whispers of a move to Anfield and reports of a disagreement with David Moyes over player transfers, Steidten insists he’s happy at West Ham.

He told Sky Germany: “I’ve heard that I am supposed to be on the list at Liverpool. It is one of the biggest clubs in the world, so it’s an honour.” He added: “But so far nobody from LFC has contacted me yet. I generally feel very comfortable at West Ham. I quickly realised how intense this league is. Accordingly, we signed the right players in the last transfer windows. The squad is strong, so we can achieve our goals.”

Steidten, who joined West Ham in July 2023 after stints at Bayer Leverkusen and Werder Bremen, also spoke about his excitement for the future. He said: “But so far nobody from LFC has contacted me yet. I generally feel very comfortable at West Ham. I quickly realised how intense this league is. Accordingly, we signed the right players in the last transfer windows.

“The squad is strong, so we can achieve our goals. I am looking forward to facing the next weeks and months until the end of the season. Of course, we are already planning the next window. What happens to the future, we will see.”

During his time at Leverkusen, Steidten made a big move by making Xabi Alonso the new boss in October 2022. Many think Alonso might be the next manager for Liverpool after Klopp said he’s leaving when the season ends.

Liverpool’s old sports director Jorg Schmadtke left at the end of January as part of big changes by the club’s owners, FSG. He took over from Julian Ward who had only been in charge for a year after Michael Edwards left.

Edwards might come back to Anfield, and the Reds are also looking at Richard Hughes from Bournemouth for the job. Last month, FSG’s Mike Gordon thanked Schmadtke, saying: “We would like to place on record our gratitude to Jorg for the important role he has played since joining Liverpool last summer.

“He has made a valuable contribution, both in terms of the support he provided to Jurgen Klopp and the assistance and guidance given to our outstanding football operations department. As well as departing with our appreciation for his efforts, we would also like to take this opportunity to offer Jorg and his family our very best wishes for the future.”