My West Ham news feed yesterday was littered with stories about who the club nearly signed during January, but one name stood out more than the rest.

That player was Charlie Cresswell of Toulouse, who was reportedly identified as a top defensive target. The Athletic revealed that Maximilian Hahn — West Ham’s Head of Technical Recruitment and Analysis — had been in dialogue with Cresswell’s representatives.

This is the same Max Hahn credited with helping bring in Malick Diouf and Mateus Fernandes — and the same figure that co-owner David Sullivan is said to place significant faith in.

Yet on this occasion — and on several others during the window — it appears the club chose instead to lean on manager preferences and agent recommendations.

Another Recruitment Opportunity Thrown Away

Cresswell looks like exactly the type of signing West Ham should be making: young enough to develop, but good enough to help now. To discover that the club not only had the chance to sign him, but could have done so early in the window, is deeply frustrating.

Once again, it underlines a familiar problem.

Any semblance of a coherent recruitment strategy — the kind led by a...