By Toby Cudworth and Graeme Bailey
West Ham United and David Moyes are likely to part ways in the summer, whether or not the club retain their Premier League status. 90 minutes he understands.
The Hammers are involved in a fiercely fought relegation battle involving nine teams, and currently sit in the drop zone after a run of just one win in their last five Premier League games.
Moyes’ side have at least one game in hand over every team around them, but they still face Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle and Liverpool before the end of the season.
The pressure on Moyes’ shoulders mounted for several months, despite the club’s uneventful progress to the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League. West Ham have won all eight of their games and are seen as heavy favorites to win the competition following recent defeats to Villarreal and Lazio.
But the failure to push and build on sixth and seventh-place finishes over the last two Premier League seasons has caused extreme concern, particularly as West Ham invested a large amount of money last summer to continue fighting for qualification European.
Lucas Paqueta, Gianluca Scamacca and Nayef Aguerd signed contracts worth at least £30m, while further top-level experience with permanent Alphonse Areola and Emerson Palmieri – the latter both won the Champions League and the Europa League.
In total, West Ham have committed nearly £170m in new arrivals this season with a net spend of £150m.
West Ham’s form in the Premier League in 2021
West Ham’s Premier League form in 2022 and 2023 combined
Sections of West Ham support have called for the sacking of Moyes, who has a year left on his contract, for a number of months, but the club’s majority owner David Sullivan has backed the Scotsman to bail out the club, believing there is no manager better equipped to deal with the situation the club finds itself in.
However, sources said 90 minutes that Moyes’ support is highly unlikely to extend beyond the end of the season and that he will be replaced on the bench whether or not the club remains a Premier League side.
Success in the Europa Conference League is also unlikely to affect Moyes’ future, although it would guarantee a return to the Europa League.
West Hamlack of progression despite their summer investment is seen as the main problem, with some at the club feeling the need to implement new ideas to get the best out of the current playing squad – many of whom have competed or played in European competition for a certain number of years.
There are also concerns that Moyes’ tactics and style of play are limiting his ability to perform, with some of the club’s key players expressing frustration in the media with how West Ham are set up.
Those dissenting voices have included Captain Declan Rice, who said after the 2-0 defeat by Tottenham in February that Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen were ‘a bit isolated’ and ‘didn’t have enough around them, enough support’ due to the decision to play five backs and three central midfields.
Rice is expected to leave West Ham this summer, with Arsenal and Chelsea leading the race to sign the 24-year-old.
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This article was originally posted on 90min.com as West Ham plans for David Moyes at the end of the current season.
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