Global EditionASIA 中文双语Français
Sports

Moyes to leave West Ham at end of the season

China Daily | Updated: 2024-05-08 00:00
Share
Share - WeChat

West Ham manager David Moyes will leave "by mutual consent" when his contract expires at the end of the season, the Premier League club said on Monday.

The announcement of Moyes' impending exit came just a day after the Hammers suffered an embarrassing 5-0 loss to London rival Chelsea.

"West Ham United can confirm David Moyes will leave the club by mutual consent at the end of the 2023/24 season, when his contract expires," said a club statement.

Monday's announcement came amid media speculation that former Real Madrid, Wolves and Spain manager Julen Lopetegui had agreed a deal to replace Moyes, who is in his second spell as West Ham manager, after the end of the current campaign.

The Chelsea defeat was the second successive away game where West Ham conceded five goals, following its loss at Crystal Palace, another London club.

It added to the pressure on Moyes that has been mounting all season, with West Ham fans criticizing him throughout the campaign for perceived negative tactics.

West Ham is currently ninth in the table, a huge 18 points adrift of the top four.

Moyes, however, guided West Ham to the Europa Conference League title last season — the club's first major honor since it won the 1980 FA Cup.

But, it was knocked out of the Europa League last month following a quarterfinal loss to Bayer Leverkusen.

"I have enjoyed four-and-a-half brilliant years at West Ham, and the club is in a stronger position than when I returned back in 2019," Moyes told the club's website.

"When I joined West Ham for a second time, the club was one place above the relegation zone, and it has been a terrific journey to have achieved three consecutive seasons in Europe."

The 61-year-old Scot, a former manager of both Everton and Manchester United, added: "After leading the club (West Ham) to safety, we guided the team to finishes of sixth and seventh in the Premier League, and I was delighted when we won the Europa Conference League title last June — the club's first major trophy in 43 years.

"I would like to thank all the players for their support, and all the success they have achieved, over the last four-and-a-half years."

West Ham joint-chairman David Sullivan paid tribute to Moyes by saying: "On behalf of everyone at West Ham United, I would like to offer our sincere thanks and gratitude to David for the contribution he has made to the football club during his time as manager.

"David has been responsible for a period of great progress and success in our history, and we are extremely grateful for all of his hard work, commitment and dedication to the role," added Sullivan, who hailed Moyes as an "absolute professional".

Sullivan said that making the announcement with two games left to play in the league season "allows David to get the send-off he deserves from the West Ham supporters, and for us all to show our appreciation to him at our final home fixture of the season against Luton Town on Saturday".

Lopetegui could now be set to succeed Moyes at the London Stadium.

The Spaniard guided Wolves to Premier League safety last season, but left the Midlands club after nine months on the eve of the new campaign in August.

The former Porto and Sevilla manager helped lift Wolves from the bottom of the table to a 13th-placed finish during his time in charge at Molineux.

AFP

 

David Moyes

 

 

Today's Top News

Editor's picks

Most Viewed

Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US