West Ham United technical director Tim Steidten clarified the rumours linking him with Liverpool to replace sporting director Jorg Schmadtke
Tim Steidten clarified his current status amid rumours linking him to replace sporting director Jorg Schmadtke at Liverpool. West Ham United appointed Steidten as the technical director of the club in July of 2023.
Liverpool are facing a big transition period in their staff and management as their current manager Jurgen Klopp departs. Klopp announced that he is stepping back from the managerial role at the club after the end of the season.
Schmadtke left the club at the end of the January transfer window, leaving another big vacancy that requires attention. The Reds would prefer a sporting director who can work parallelly with Klopp’s successor, ushering in a new era.
Speaking to Sky Germany (h/t Mirror), Steidten expressed his privilege and honour for his association with a club of Liverpool’s stature. He said:
“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. But so far nobody from LFC has contacted me yet.”
Steidten earned an enormous reputation during his stint at Werder Bremen and later at Bayern Leverkusen in Germany. As a scout at Bremen, he assisted in acquiring Kevin De Bruyne on loan and signing players like Serge Gnabry.
Steidten joined Leverkusen as the “Head of Scouting” in 2019 and three years later, he earned a promotion to “Sporting Director”. He supervised the signing of talented players like Florian Wirtz, Edmond Tapsoba, Jeremie Frimpong, Patrick Schick, and Piero Hincapie.
#LFC can confirm Jorg Schmadtke’s tenure as sporting director will come to an end following the culmination of the January transfer window.
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 26, 2024
The 44-year-old played a crucial role in appointing Xabi Alonso as the new Leverkusen manager in the 2022-23 season. Consequently, the German club has enjoyed great success under Alonso, currently being the only unbeaten club in Europe.
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The former German defensive midfielder signed Mohammed Kudus and Edson Alvarez for West Ham during the summer. Both the signings have made a significant impact for the Hammers despite the recent struggle under manager David Moyes.
Alonso is the favourite to join the Reds as the successor for Klopp during the upcoming summer. A reunion with Steidten at Anfield is an exciting prospect for all the parties involved.