Tim Steidten has been told to stay away from West Ham manager David Moyes and the first-team squad following his attempts to source the Scotsman's successor, it has been claimed.
Steidten, the club's technical director, has played a significant role in the Hammers' search for a new head coach with Moyes now looking increasingly likely to bow out at the end of the season.
Over recent weeks a number of high-calibre coaches have emerged as contenders to replace Moyes once his contract at the London Stadium expires. Those include Ruben Amorim and Julen Lopetegui.
Speculation over said search has led to discontent behind the scenes, though. And as first revealed by The Guardian, it has also resulted in Steidten being asked to keep his distance from Moyes and his squad.
The report goes on to detail how Steidten's relations with Moyes have become strained since he arrived last summer. It's the Hammers outgoing manager, rather than the club hierarchy, who have told Steidten to stay away during the final weeks of the season.
While Moyes is set for talks with the board later this month, it's noted that it would take a seismic turnaround for the former Manchester United chief to be offered a new deal.
Moyes won the Europa Conference League trophy last season to guarantee another season of European football but the Hammers have been in dismal form in the Premier League since the turn of the year, winning just four matches.
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While clarity is expected over Moyes' future in the coming weeks, it seems unlikely that Amorim will leave Sporting Lisbon to take charge in east London after admitting that conducting face-to-face talks with West Ham was "a mistake".
Speaking last week, Amorim, as quoted by Ojogo, said: "So let's get the elephant out of the room and I'll talk about it once. The first thing is to say that the club was aware of my trip. It's important and changes the context.
"Then, talk about the cloak of secrecy that surrounded the trip. I secretly parked the car outside, secretly walked past 15 people, past people and took photographs and got on a plane to take away a little bit of this thing that was all done behind the club's back, that didn't happen.
"Obviously my trip was a mistake, the timing was completely wrong, it didn't seem right at the time. It was wrong, especially when I'm so demanding with my players and always the first to say that each one's problems don't go away. They can overpower the team, I have already removed players from the squad for much less. It was my mistake, I have to accept it and live with it."
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