It is a gauge of Nils Koppen’s impact at FC Copenhagen that the Danish club had long since braced themselves for what they considered his inevitable departure.On three occasions, teams elsewhere in Europe expressed interest in securing Koppen’s services.Following his initial appointment as head of scouting and recruitment last October, the 41-year-old merely enhanced his reputation as a talent spotter. As recognition of his work, Copenhagen promoted Koppen to technical director just five months after his arrival.Despite those suitors, Koppen stuck around, but when the opportunity arose to become West Ham United’s director of player recruitment, he could not turn that down.The now Championship side, who announced his appointment last week, felt Koppen was the best candidate after a thorough interview process.Koppen is reunited in east London with Karim Virani, the interim chief executive officer with whom he worked at Scottish side Rangers from January 2024 to the following July. During Koppen’s 18-month spell at Ibrox, he held the positions of director of football recruitment and technical director.Sources with knowledge of the situation, who spoke to The Athletic on condition of anonymity to protect relationships, say Koppen’s departure is a significant loss to Copenhagen. He was well regarded as a good negotiator, direct with his thoughts and played a key role in the recent arrival of defender Felix Beijmo after his contract with fellow Danes Aarhus expired. Kristjaan Speakman, the new director of football who left his post at Premier League side Sunderland in February, will now lead Copenhagen’s recruitment.“Nils has taken on a great deal of responsibility at a time when the club needed it, and we are incredibly grateful for that,” Copenhagen’s CEO Jacob Lauesen told their official website. “He has delivered outstanding work. Nils has been in demand the whole time, so we knew we probably had him on borrowed time. We wish him good luck in England.”Koppen’s role at West Ham does not have the same remit as former technical director Tim Steidten, who left in February 2025. He was solely responsible for the arrivals of Konstantinos Mavropanos, Niclas Fullkrug, Jean-Clair Todibo and others. But the club’s transfer policy will be more collaborative from now on, even with Koppen in the building, as they intend to adopt a holistic approach in the market.Tim Steidten had a far more hands-on role when it came to West Ham’s recruitment (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)Koppen has not officially started in his role at West Ham due to the UK’s visa process, but once he does, there are several issues he needs to tackle.The first will be to find replacements for midfielder Mateus Fernandes, who joined London rivals Tottenham Hotspur a week ago for £85million ($113.9m at the current rate), and winger Crysencio Summerville, who is expected to be the next high-profile departure following last season’s relegation to the Championship, amid interest from Manchester United.