Football

David Moyes to leave West Ham at the end of the season; Julen Lopetegui expected to succeed him

Published

1w ago

May 08, 2024 / 8785 Views

David Moyes will leave West Ham at the end of the season, the club have announced, with Julen Lopetegui expected to be appointed in his place for the 2024-25 campaign. Moyes' contract expires at the end of the season and it had long been expected that he would depart with West Ham struggling for league form since the turn of the year.

Moyes will still depart east London with his reputation enhanced, the Scot having led West Ham to two seventh placed finishes in the Premier League as well as deep runs to the quarter and semifinals of the Europa League. His outstanding achievement with the Hammers will forever be the 2023 Europa Conference League where his side secured the club's first major trophy since 1980 with a 2-1 win over Fiorentina.

Having steered West Ham to safety in an interim spell at the club in 2017, the Scot repeated the trick two years later before easing the club away from what seemed to be an annual battle against the drop. It says a great deal about the standards he has established that the ninth place the club find themselves in this season appears to be a disappointing return.

"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," said Moyes. "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.

"After leading the club to safety, we guided the team to finishes of 6th and 7th 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.

""I have really enjoyed working with everyone at West Ham, and I would like to thank the board for giving me the opportunity to manage this great club. I wish my eventual successor, the directors, the players, the staff, the fans, and everybody at West Ham, all the very best for the future."

CBS Sports understands that LoPetegui is set to be appointed in his place, though as of Monday morning an agreement between the former Spain, Real Madrid and Wolverhampton Wanderers boss had not been finalized. The 57-year-old, who won the Europa League with Sevilla, had also been linked with a possible vacancy at AC Milan and was expected to attract further interest in the weeks ahead, including from Bayern Munich, prompting West Ham to push ahead with appointing him. The club had also held talks with Sporting boss Ruben Amorim but to no avail.

West Ham also noted that the decision to part ways with Moyes early will allow supporters to celebrate his tenure in the final home match of the season against Luton Town on Saturday. The 61-year-old's final match in charge will be away to Manchester City.

"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," said joint-chairman David Sullivan. "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.

"David has been an absolute professional to work with and he will leave with our greatest respect and good wishes - he deserves to be held in the highest esteem for the service he has given to West Ham United, and we wish him every success in the future. By making this announcement now, it 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."