West Ham rejected potential summer signings after concerns emerged during player meetings and reference checks, Nils Koppen has revealed.
The director of player recruitment confirmed that personality assessments influenced decisions during his first transfer window at the club.
Speaking on West Ham’s official Iron Cast podcast, Koppen explained that building a united squad shaped the recruitment process.
“It was a no go in some cases,” he said.
Why West Ham transfer targets faced character checks
Koppen described two ways of assessing a potential signing beyond their performances.
Recruitment staff speak directly with players about football, family life and their career to date. They also seek information from people who have worked alongside them.
He highlighted physios and assistant coaches as particularly useful sources because of their daily contact with players.
The disclosure adds a concrete outcome to West Ham’s previously reported emphasis on recruitment interviews: those checks could stop a deal.
Rejected players remain unnamed
Koppen did not identify the players concerned or specify how many potential moves West Ham abandoned.
His explanation nevertheless makes clear that statistical analysis and scouting reports were only part of the decision. The club also needed confidence that a recruit would fit the group.
