David Moyes being kept in West Ham United job due to lack of replacement options
David Moyes has not yet been sacked as West Ham United manager due to a lack of suitable replacements available, according to Claret and Hugh.
The Hammers are not enjoying the kind of season anybody expected of them in 2022-23 as they sit precariously above the drop zone despite winning all six of their Europa Conference League group-stage matches.
David Gold, David Sullivan and Daniel Kretinsky are still believing in the manager to turn things around but they could be set to keep him in the job for much longer than anticipated even if results don’t improve.
There is a belief around the London Stadium that even if Moyes were to be relieved of his duties, there is not a big enough pool of potential replacements who are established enough to take on the role.
Mark Noble could be seen as a temporary option but he will only start his director of football role in January and Moyes would also have to be paid off to leave should the decision be made.
Balancing act
It’s a tough decision to make for the board and not just whether it happens or not but when is even more crucial because they have to get somebody lined up and ready to go as soon as the metaphorical trigger is pulled.
Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel are both named by Claret and Hugh but only if the club are in Europe and while they are right now, they will both know that West Ham have to win the Conference League to return to the continent next year.
As a result, they may not be willing to take the risk when they are in no need to do so and Sean Dyche, another manager namechecked, might not play the kind of football the board or fans desire at the London Stadium.
That does leave only Moyes as an option unless they can quickly pick up somebody who gets fired in January or they opt to buy them out of their current deal as Southampton have done with Nathan Jones at Luton Town.
The summer spending spree could prohibit that as it once again bites the club on the backside.