West Ham United manager David Moyes is under “huge pressure” to turn things around at the London Stadium, as journalist Dean Jones admits he is surprised at the head coach’s lack of commitment to a new contract.
The Irons have endured a mixed 2023/24 season and find themselves in a race to secure European football in the final weeks of the Premier League campaign, having been knocked out of the Europa League at the quarter-final stage.
Moyes has spent the last four years with the Hammers and has brought continental success to east London following last term’s Europa Conference League triumph. However, it may be time for the experienced tactician to step aside.
West Ham hold talks with Ruben Amorim
According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, West Ham have held talks with Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim over potentially replacing David Moyes at the London Stadium. Moyes is out of contract in the summer despite claiming that he had an extension offer on the table in February. The Scotsman is yet to pen a new deal, hinting that he may be prepared to step aside at the end of the 2023/24 season.
West Ham will consider alternative appointments until the summer as they prepare for Moyes’ potential exit. The Irons have enjoyed their most successful spell for generations under the 60-year-old’s stewardship. Moyes was re-appointed at the London Stadium in 2019, steering the Hammers away from a Premier League relegation battle.
The east London outfit would claim a sixth-placed finish the following term, ensuring their spot in the Europa League. A semi-final defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt was followed up with a Europa Conference League triumph the next season, when a late Jarrod Bowen goal was enough to see off Serie A outfit Fiorentina in a 2-1 victory in Prague. However, an uninspiring run since the turn of 2024, coupled with a Europa League quarter-final exit to Bayer Leverkusen, could spell the end of Moyes’s time at West Ham.
Dean Jones – Moyes ‘deserves respect’ for West Ham achievements
Jones feels Moyes deserves respect for his achievements at West Ham but has hinted that his time at the London Stadium could be up. The journalist believes the former Manchester United manager is under substantial pressure in the capital. Jones told Reporters:
“Moyes is under huge pressure, and you have to wonder how the vibe is inside the camp now that he’s come out with such strong messages against his team. He says he has a contract on the table, so if that is the case, I’m surprised he has not signed it, because I can not be sure the desire to keep him on will be so strong today. The fan base has been agitating for him to go for a while now – you could date it back to various stages across the season – and even when results have improved, most of them have lacked emotion towards him.
He deserves respect for what has been achieved, and I don’t think they will axe him before the season is out, but it would seem almost irresponsible not to be looking at other options now.”
Moyes unlikely to stay at West Ham
According to The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg, Moyes is unlikely to remain at West Ham after his side’s 5-2 defeat at Crystal Palace on 21st April. The Irons put in a tired performance at Selhurst Park, succumbing to Bayer Leverkusen in a Europa League quarter-final second-leg earlier that week.
However, the same reporter is unsure whether the links to former Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Julen Lopetegui are true. The Spaniard has been out of work since his departure from Molineux in August 2023. The 57-year-old has an impressive track record but has just six months of Premier League experience to his name.
