David Moyes all but certain to leave West Ham this summer as comments emerge
David Moyes is all but certain to leave West Ham United after making some telling quotes in his latest interview.
The 59-year-old is under contract until the summer of 2024 but could leave before his deal is due to expire, with pressure being at an all-time high this season.
Should a Daniel Kretinsky takeover materialise before the end of the season, a mutual exit could suit all parties with the current ownership moving on after years at the helm.
As quoted by the Daily Mail (16 February), Moyes has admitted, “We [West Ham] avoided relegation, we took them into Europe the next year, we get to the semi-final of a European competition, we finish seventh the second year.
“So the perspective has made me say yeah, you know, if you’re gonna come to West Ham and expect to do six, seven years where you’re competing at the top, I think you’re probably kidding yourself on and I think anyone with any real football intelligence will probably go along with that’.”
It’s fair to say that this season has not gone to plan for Moyes and Co. The club sits 16th in the Premier League, two points off the relegation zone going into this weekend’s clash against Tottenham Hotspur.
This comes after two scarcely believable seasons in which the Hammers have competed in Europe after narrowly surviving relegation upon Moyes’ return.
Moyes’ future has been a source of constant speculation this season, especially during the World Cup break, a period many saw as the ideal time to make a dugout change.
Moyes’ line in the interview about “not competing at the top”, he sounds frustrated, or almost like he is covering himself with the club not doing so well this year.
It’s almost an admission of defeat and it sets him up for a summer departure. Not so much leaving on a high but walking away before things get toxic.
A lot can change between now and the end of the season, if West Ham slip into the relegation zone again then Moyes may well be a goner anyway.
It would certainly be a surprise to see him in the dugout next season after Thursday’s comments.