Elland Road, Leeds, Britain - February 12, 2023. Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag before the match.
Manchester United are considering a potential move to bring recruitment operator Tim Steidten to Old Trafford, according to reports in the last 48 hours.
The Lowdown: Steidten profiled
The German started his career as a professional footballer, spending most of his time in his homeland, where he carried out successful spells with the likes of SV Meppen and VfL Oldenburg before hanging up his boots in 2009.
Following retirement, the 43-year-old was initially appointed as squad planner at Bayer Leverkusen in 2019 before being handed the role of sporting director just last summer (Football.London).
The Bundesliga outfit’s chief, however, has departed his position by mutual consent over the last 48 hours and there are already a trio of Premier League clubs that would like to take him on board queueing up to secure his services, one of those being the Red Devils.
The Latest: Man Utd eyeing Steidten
According to Football Insider, Man United, Tottenham and Liverpool are all ‘eyeing potential moves’ for Steidten following his recent exit from Bayer Leverkusen.
The recruitment operator leaving his post has ‘alerted’ the three clubs to his availability and it’s reported that he’s viewed as ‘one of the best’ transfer gurus in Europe.
Monaco are also monitoring his situation, with the quartet all being ‘admirers’ and tempted to make an approach for him in the ‘next weeks and months’.
The Verdict: Get it done…
One of Steidten’s most well-known strengths is that he’s renowned for putting heavy focus on data when it comes to finding and scouting potential new signings, and he would be a fantastic addition behind-the-scenes for United, who have often been criticised for an old-fashioned recruitment set-up.
During his career so far, the former defensive midfielder has been credited with signing the likes of Piero Hincapie, Edmond Tapsoba, Jeremie Frimpong, Moussa Diaby and Florian Wirtz, to name just a few rising stars at his current club, so is clearly good at what he does.
Erik Ten Hag will of course have his own future transfer targets in mind and he would undoubtedly be backed as he was in the summer getting players like Anthony over the line, but getting a new pair of eyes on board could help him discover some hidden gems.
Bild recently reported that Steidten is likely to end up at Chelsea at some point next season after a previous failed pursuit, but United should definitely give it their best to secure his signature and they wouldn’t even have to pay any compensation considering he’s now a free agent.
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