Victor Orta, Lee Dykes, or Tiago Pinto may end up working alongside sporting director Mark Noble as West Ham look to strengthen
West Ham United is weighing up candidates to take up a potential director of football role at the club this summer.
Telegraph Sport understands that Brentford’s Lee Dykes and Roma’s Tiago Pinto, who are both of interest to Tottenham Hotspur, along with Victor Orta, who left Leeds United this month, are names that have already been discussed by West Ham.
Other individuals whose identities remain a secret are also under consideration, as West Ham look at the possibility of hiring somebody to work with sporting director Mark Noble.
Noble returned to West Ham in January to take up his role as sporting director, working on player recruitment, academy development, and player and staff wellbeing, while promoting the values of what it means to play for the club.
It is understood that nothing has been decided at this stage, but news of West Ham giving consideration to the position has circulated around the Premier League at a time when Tottenham are attempting to make a similar appointment.
West Ham is facing a big summer with star midfielder Declan Rice expected to leave the club and uncertainty still surrounding the future of manager David Moyes.
Telegraph Sport reported last week that West Ham has not ruled out Moyes staying past this season and his hopes of doing so would be boosted by winning the Europa Conference League.
West Ham hold a single-goal advantage going into this week’s semi-final second-leg tie against AZ Alkmaar and sources claim it is inconceivable to think Moyes would be forced out if he won a European trophy.
Should the Scot go, either at the request of the club or through his own decision, then West Ham is believed to be looking at Lille’s Paulo Fonseca, Fulham’s Marco Silva, whose contract is understood to contain a £6 million release clause and out-of-work Brendan Rodgers as possible replacements.
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West Ham United eye former Liverpool chief Michael Edwards and ex-Leeds United director of football Victor Orta
West Ham is reportedly set to appoint a director of football and may turn to Brentford for their technical director Lee Dykes.
According to the Guardian [15 May], former Liverpool chief Michael Edwards along with ex-Leeds United director of football Victor Orta are among the candidates for the position.
Monaco’s Paul Mitchell and Atalanta’s Lee Congerton are the other names being considered with a recruitment process in place.
Much needed
The Hammers certainly need a director who’s at the top of his game and the names they’re being linked with show that they’re aiming high.
They can forget Orta as he did not really do a great job at Leeds and was driven out after countless failures in terms of recruitment and appointing managers post Marcelo Bielsa.
Edwards has a proven track record and he made Liverpool a Champions League and Premier League winning side along with the brilliant coaching of Jurgen Klopp.
He has been out of the game for a while and the Hammers project could prove to be one he would want to get on board with.
West Ham does need a change in what’s going to be a summer of overhauling and it’s important that the right director is in place by then.
There have been reports about Declan Rice maybe staying on for another season as well but that does seem to be wishful thinking, as things stand.
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