The Hammers endured a closely-fought battle with Tottenham Hotspur in the race for Premier League survival during the 2025/26 season.
West Ham, who likely never expected Spurs to be their direct competition in a potential relegation battle, lost out on the final day of Premier League action despite a 3-0 win.
The Hammers dismantled Leeds United at the London Stadium, however, a Tottenham Hotspur victory over Everton secured survival for the North London club — now, the ramifications of their relegation are beginning to appear.
West Ham’s first loss post-relegation is their Head of Recruitment
The Hammers are expected to endure a mass exodus of players seeking to stay within Europe’s Top 5 leagues, as opposed to featuring in the Championship.
The likes of Mateus Fernandes, Crysencio Summerville and loanee Axel Disasi are all expected to leave, and West Ham’s first summer departure is linked with all three.
According to a report from The Athletic, the club’s head of recruitment, Maximilian Hahn, is leaving the Hammers, after playing a significant role in the signings of the three aforementioned players, and others.
Fernandes, a particularly high-profile summer signing made by West Ham last summer, is all but confirmed to make an Old Trafford arrival after a campaign spent as one of the Hammers’ bright sparks.
That transfer alone depicts the value that Hahn brought to the East London club, with West Ham’s recruitment now left in the hands of sporting director Mark Noble and his team.
Hahn arrived at the London Stadium through a recommendation from ex-technical director Tim Steidten, who left after clashes with former managers David Moyes and Julen Lopetegui.
Lopetegui had been pitched the idea of signing Fernandes, but opted instead to sign a more experienced midfield duo of Carlos Soler and Guido Rodriguez.
Those signings revealed themselves to be inadequate in a West Ham shirt, leading Fernandes to be pitched once more to Graham Potter, who signed off on the move.
West Ham appeared to have a resoundingly solid recruitment team led by Hahn, who also helped to secure the services of standout defender El Hadji Malick Diouf.
The upcoming summer window likely would have seen the Hammers continue to make key signings, if they had secured Premier League survival.
That list has now been replaced by another, showing forward-thinking planning for West Ham’s relegation - free agents, young talent and veterans.
Without Hahn, West Ham will need to continue making smart business decisions that ensure a clear route back to the English top-flight, but his exit is surely the first of an extensive series of departures from the London Stadium this summer.
