West Ham have finalised a deal with Chelsea to bring in Graham Potter’s trusted recruitment analyst Kyle Macaulay in a move that raises further doubts over Tim Steidten’s future as the technical director.

Although Macaulay is not taking on a technical director role his arrival is regarded as another sign of significant change in West Ham’s recruitment department. Steidten, whose influence has been decreased this month, is under serious pressure because of his work in the transfer market and it is understood that the German’s position is being reviewed by the club’s hierarchy.

The analyst Max Hahn is understood to have taken on a more prominent role this month and West Ham will soon benefit from Macaulay’s expertise.

• Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'.

• If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.

• In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.

• Turn on sport notifications.

Macaulay worked with Potter at Östersund, Swansea, Brighton and Chelsea. He remained at Stamford Bridge after Potter was fired in April 2023. The expectation has long been that the pair would link up again.

Chelsea asked for £1.5m in compensation when West Ham, who appointed Potter as Julen Lopetegui’s replacement this month, approached them for Macaulay. The clubs have agreed to an incentivised deal after swift talks.

It is hoped that Macaulay will begin work on Thursday. It is expected that his arrival will accelerate West Ham’s transfer plans, with Potter keen to recruit a defender, a deep-lying midfielder and a striker.

Striker targets include Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz, RB Leipzig’s André Silva, Brighton’s Evan Ferguson and Nottingham Forest’s Taiwo Awoniyi. Sources have questioned the seriousness of an unsuccessful £57m bid for Aston Villa’s Jhon Durán. West Ham have also shown interest in Strasbourg’s striker Emanuel Emegha but he is not for sale this month and the asking price is high.

Sources close to Lille’s Angel Gomes have played down links with the England midfielder, whose contract expires this summer.

West Ham are close to agreeing a deal to buy the OH Leuven midfielder Ezechiel Banzuzi after making an improved offer. An initial bid for the 19-year-old Dutchman was rejected by the Belgian club. Banzuzi, an attacking midfielder who has represented the Netherlands at youth level, is regarded as a signing for the future.