West Ham United promise to David Moyes for 3rd run in place of Julen Lopetegui mooted
West Ham indicating to David Moyes that they might yet call him for a third spell in charge of the team has been raised as a possibility by Tony Cascarino.
The talkSPORT pundit questioned live on the station (10 November) whether David Sullivan might have hinted to the former manager before he left that another return was possible if things didn’t work out.
Moyes departed at the conclusion of his contract in the summer, bringing an end to his second reign after being brought back to to replace the sacked Manuel Pellegrini at the end of 2019 after initially being replaced by the Chilean 18 months earlier.
But Julen Lopetegui is struggling badly as the Scot’s replacement at the London Stadium, with the 0-0 draw against Everton on 9 November leaving him with just three wins from his first 11 league games.
Cascarino said (3m): “Here’s a question for you. Do you think along the way that when the David Moyes scenario came about, that the club have had discussions with him, and it’s all ending and they’ve said they’re going to go in a different direction, that they might have said, ‘We might be calling you by Christmas, David’?”
When Natalie Sawyer suggested it was pretty unlikely he responded: “Well, they’ve done that once”.
David Sullivan planned for West Ham emergency return?
With Moyes there is obviously the precedent of Sullivan and the club realising the grass isn’t always greener and turning back to the former Everton boss.
There are obvious parallels between the failed move to one ex-Real Madrid boss in Pellegrini, and the currently-failing move to another former Bernabeu manager in Lopetegui.
So it is impossible to fully rule it another repeat this time around, but there are also definite factors working against it as a realistic possibility.
Firstly, Moyes’ first spell in charge lasted less than a season as he rescued the Hammers from relegation and was overlooked for the permanent job before getting a chance to properly get going.
In contrast, his second tenure ended after four an a half years where the undeniable success was draining away and much of the fanbase was growing disillusioned with some of his tendencies.
Much of what is wrong with Lopetegui’s side is it seems all too familiar to the worst elements of Moyes’ final season in charge, and arguably elements of the previous domestic campaign which were partially forgotten thanks to Europa Conference League glory at the end of the year.
On top of that is the fact that Moyes is probably less interested in returning a second time after he told The Overlap on 7 November that Sullivan had offered him a contract extension last term and then retracted it in the wake of a string of losses.
It appears the chairman is starting to have regrets about bringing in Lopetegui after calling a meeting with technical director Tim Steidten to review the manager’s position [The Times, 10 November], but that doesn’t necessarily mean letting Moyes go was also a mistake.
Another change in the dug out could well happen before Christmas, but it would be a surprise if the previous boss was on the cards for a third go.
In other West Ham news, the Irons have emerged as a “more likely” destination as a leading Nigerian international looks to move on.
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