Rafa Benitez wants 40-month contract at West Ham United as questions go unanswered
Rafa Benitez wants a 40-month contract to join West Ham United if they sack David Moyes, according to SixFootTwo.
The Daily Mail reported on Monday (20 February) that while Moyes is expected to be in charge against Nottingham Forest this weekend, former Liverpool, Everton and Newcastle manager Benitez, 62, is “on standby and wants the job”.
Reliable Hammers news site SixFootTwo claimed on Tuesday (21 February) that West Ham’s board have sounded out agents about the availability of managers who could replace Moyes.
It is understood that the board would prefer to offer a short-term contract to anyone who comes in but that doesn’t interest Benitez, who “wants a long contract of up 40 months and [is] not prepared to take a six-month contract”.
SixFootTwo adds that Benitez also “has some reservations about taking the role and has a few unanswered questions”.
Time for Moyes to go?
Moyes has done a brilliant job at West Ham.
The board’s decision to re-hire the Scot for a second spell at the London Stadium turned a lot of heads but he went on to lead the Irons to safety and then twice qualify for Europe.
It’s fair to say he’s been the most successful manager we’ve had in a very long time.
Moyes was a master of the transfer market on a limited budget, signing top players like Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek without spending much money.
But the decision to hand him a war chest last summer that saw a record sum of money spent on players was clearly a bad one – it always is for West Ham.
Moyes has failed to gel this bunch of players together and his trusted, reliable senior players have seen their form drop massively.
Is this all Moyes’ fault? It definitely isn’t.
We feel the players have a lot to answer for, really.