David Moyes to leave West Ham at end of this season by mutual consent

West Ham is getting closer to hiring Julen Lopetegui as their new manager, as they've announced that David Moyes will be leaving his role as manager when his contract finishes at the end of this season.

Lopetegui, who has been unemployed since departing from Wolves last year, has tentatively agreed to take charge of West Ham after holding several discussions with the club. The 57-year-old Spaniard was chosen as the replacement for Moyes, who the London Stadium club decided not to offer a new contract to. Moyes has spent four and a half years in east London, where he achieved mostly positive results.

Throughout the season, Moyes's position as West Ham's manager has been in doubt, and their chances of keeping him decreased due to the team's poor performance in the latter half of the campaign. West Ham has only won four games in 2024, and their aspirations of making it to the European competition for the fourth time in a row were shattered when they lost 5-0 to Chelsea on Sunday.

After the embarrassing game at Stamford Bridge, the club has decided to provide more transparency about the current situation. Even though Moyes' performance has been underwhelming, announcing his departure will allow fans to bid the Scottish coach a fitting farewell during West Ham's upcoming match against Luton on Saturday.

The author praises Moyes for his superb performance during his second term as West Ham manager which started in 2019. Following his appointment to replace Manuel Pellegrini, he guided the team out of the danger of being relegated from the Premier League. Furthermore, he succeeded in securing West Ham a spot in the top half of the league in subsequent seasons. In 2021 and 2022, they finished in sixth and seventh place, respectively. The team also achieved a significant milestone by winning the Europa Conference League in 2023, which marks their first major trophy in 43 years.

Despite being 61 years old, criticism towards the way Moyes runs his team hasn't stopped, leading West Ham to think about replacing him. Moyes' job was in danger during the previous season's fight against being relegated, and his relationship with technical director Tim Steidten has been strained since Steidten's arrival last summer. Just recently, it was revealed that Steidten was told to stay away from Moyes and the rest of the team for the remainder of the season.

On Monday, Moyes released a statement through the club where he expressed his enjoyment during the four and a half years he's spent with West Ham. He highlighted that the club has made significant progress since his return in 2019. Moyes acknowledged that West Ham was struggling to maintain league status at the time of his second appointment, but now, after three consecutive seasons in Europe, the club is in a much better position. It's been a remarkable journey for him at West Ham.

In the past 4 and a half years, I am proud to have brought my club to safety and achieved 6th and 7th place finishes in the Premier League. Winning the Europa Conference League title in June was a fantastic milestone, especially since it had been 43 years since our last major trophy. I extend my thanks to all the players who have supported me and contributed to our numerous successes.

David Sullivan, the joint-chairman of West Ham, expressed his earnest appreciation and thanks to Moyes.

Steidten has been busy looking for a new manager. West Ham has talked to both Rúben Amorim from Sporting and former Bayern Munich manager, Hansi Flick. Amorim's contract has a buyout clause of €15m, but he's already declared that he's remaining with Sporting.

A few people at West Ham think that bringing in the 39-year-old Amorim would be a good move since he's considered a top coach amongst the younger generation in Europe. However, it doesn't seem very probable that West Ham will activate his release clause.

It's now easier to handle Lopetegui since he's available to strike a deal. Although he haven't signed any contract yet, it's highly likely that everything will be confirmed soon unless negotiations suddenly fall apart. Lopetegui aims to create a team that has what it takes to compete in the Champions League. However, if West Ham wants to make progress this season, they have to be willing to invest and fortify their aging and thin squad.

It's thought that Sullivan has become persuaded by Lopetegui's abilities. Lopetegui, who was previously in charge of both Spain and Real Madrid, secured the Europa League title with Sevilla in 2020. Additionally, he took over a struggling Wolves team last season and managed to steer them clear of relegation, eventually finishing in 13th place. However, he ended up parting ways with Wolves due to concerns about their lack of investment in new players. Lopetegui is known for being very hardworking and possessing exceptional coaching skills.

The important inquiry is if he can adapt to West Ham's system. He had to abandon his position as Spain's coach after accepting the Madrid job right before the 2018 World Cup. His time at Madrid was short-lived, lasting only 128 days, and his last three years at Sevilla were not successful.