West Ham United boss David Moyes’ future is up in the air after entering the final months of his contract
West Ham United boss David Moyes has ‘no guarantees’ over whether he will still be in the London Stadium hot-seat next season, and transfer insider Dean Jones has told GIVEMESPORT how that could have an impact on the Hammers’ plans for the January window.
The Scottish tactician had a healthy summer budget thanks to sanctioning the £105million departure of Declan Rice to Arsenal, which resulted in him bringing in the likes of Mohammed Kudus, Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse.
Although West Ham are sitting top of their Europa League group and booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup earlier this week, there are question marks over whether Moyes’ £5million-per-year contract will be extended.
Moyes having to play waiting game over new contract
West Ham will not open discussions over fresh terms with Moyes until later in the season, according to Football Insider, as there is still tension behind the scenes thanks to a disagreement with technical director Tim Steidten.
The report suggests the Hammers chief has failed to settle his differences with the German – who headed to the capital during the summer – as they clashed over transfer targets, and sections of the fanbase have not been impressed with his style of play.
Although he has entered the final months of the three-year deal he signed in the summer of 2021, Moyes has insisted that he is not in a rush to hold discussions with the West Ham hierarchy as he is fully focused on enjoying another successful season at the helm.
But it is understood that the former Manchester United and Everton chief remains confident that he is the right man to take the Hammers forward and build on ending the club’s lengthy trophy drought.
Respected reporter Paul Brown recently told GIVEMESPORT that West Ham are due to hold talks over a potential contract extension with Moyes before the turn of the year, while they are seeking an improvement on last season’s Premier League finish.
Majority shareholder David Sullivan confirmed that leading the capital club to Europa Conference League glory last term resulted in the 60-year-old’s job being safe going into the current campaign.
But board members are preparing to start looking at potential replacements ahead of possibly deciding against handing Moyes the opportunity to extend his reign at the London Stadium.
Dean Jones update – David Moyes
Jones believes uncertainty over Moyes’ future has led to it being difficult for West Ham to pinpoint their leading striker target ahead of the January window opening for business.
The reputable journalist is aware that the east Londoners’ boss did not see eye-to-eye with Steidten during the summer, and feels a decision needs to be made on who will guide the Hammers into the 2024/25 campaign before making a final call on who to draft in.
Jones told GIVEMESPORT:
“It’s just going to be a case of who are they trying to please if they sign a striker because, at the moment, we have no guarantees that David Moyes is around beyond this season.
“There is a long-term philosophy that West Ham are going to try to put in place for how this team looks over the course of the next four or five years, but those two things are hard to marry up.
“We saw that, in the summer, there was a bit of friction at one point between Moyes and Tim Steidten. Although they seem to have come through that moment, there is always the concern about what kind of No.9 they are going to want. Is it one that actually suits David Moyes’ style of football or is it one that is better adapted to just modern football in general?”
