- West Ham interested in Newcastle United head of recruitment Steve Nickson
- Why Newcastle are so worried about losing Nickson
- How the Magpies can entice Nickson to stay
Newcastle United have been rather successful in the transfer market in recent years, barring some of the transfer business last summer, anyway.
One of the most integral parts of the recruitment hierarchy is Steve Nickson, who is currently attracting interest from West Ham United.
West Ham are currently undergoing a bit of a revamp following their relegation from the Premier League. The club’s head of recruitment, Max Hahn, departed following the season’s conclusion.
This means they need a new face to lead the rebuild. According to a report by The Chronicle, Steve Nickson is one of the names the Hammers have picked out to help them return to England’s top flight.
This has placed Newcastle United on high alert. The club are soberly aware of just how much of a blow it would be to lose Nickson ahead of what is set to be a massively important summer for the club.
Nickson’s importance at Newcastle United
Nickson is currently acting as head of recruitment on Tyneside, a role he has been commanding for the best part of a decade.
During his time at the club, he has had a massive hand in some revolutionary signings for the Magpies. It was his expertise that initiated the signings of players like Ayoze Perez for £1.5m, who Newcastle later sold for £30m to Leicester City after five very good years at the club.
Joelinton for £40m from Hoffenheim and, perhaps most importantly, Bruno Guimaraes from Lyon for £33.3m.
On top of those signings, Nickson has seen some of his suggestions ignored by the club, with those players then going on to set the world alight later down the line.
The most prominent of those at present is Bournemouth winger and Brazil international Rayan. Newcastle turned down the chance to sign him for around £20m, eventually signing Anthony Elanga instead for £55m.
No matter which way you put it, Steve Nickson has had a profound impact on the on-pitch trajectory of Newcastle United. The signings he has made are exactly why the Magpies simply can’t afford to let him go this summer.
Why Nickson must stay
This summer’s transfer window is perhaps the biggest in the club’s history and could well make or break the next few years.
Last summer was rough for a number of reasons, none of which can be put down to Nickson himself. But there’s a chance to get back on track this time around if the right signings are made. Newcastle’s head of recruitment must be placed at the forefront of that.
One of Nickson’s best abilities is finding foreign talent before it is uncovered by the world’s elite.
With the Magpies’ shift in recruitment strategy toward younger players who don’t necessarily have Premier League experience, his input could quite literally be the difference between a stellar summer and yet another that falls flat on its face.
Why Nickson may leave
The prospect of swapping a (hopefully) Champions League-battling club for one just relegated from the top flight doesn’t necessarily appear like an enticing one on the surface. But, when you dig a little deeper, it is clear why Newcastle may be worried.
Steve Nickson began his time at Newcastle as an academy talent spotter when he joined from Blackburn back in 2017. Since then, he has impressed and climbed the ladder to the top of the recruitment chain.
But, despite his role being a senior one, Nickson has often found his input overshadowed and ignored, even when his instincts have been correct.
The chance to move to West Ham United marks one that would give Nickson a much wider scope of command and presence. He would essentially be tasked with leading the entire recruitment of the club going forward, as should really be the case at Newcastle given his title, and would be the main man in the Hammers’ quest to return to the big time.
But Newcastle United are no strangers to clubs trying to pry staff from their grasp. In fact, it was just a few months ago that Manchester United’s heist for Paul Midgley fell short of the mark.
The Magpies convinced Midgley to stay at the club by offering him greater responsibility within the academy. That may well have to be the move again if the club are to prevent Nickson from accepting the West Ham job.
Whether the Magpies are willing to do that, especially with the much more structurally sound hierarchy that is now in place, is uncertain, especially with the presence of Ross Wilson, who also has a keen eye for talent.
But it does feel as though the best solution is to convince Nickson to stay. Finding a balance between him and Wilson will allow them to work cohesively on Newcastle’s transfer strategy.
If that possibility can be reached, then the Magpies will be in an exceptionally strong position ahead of the busy summer window.
