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LONDON:
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 Monday.
The announcement of Moyes’s impending exit came just a day after the Hammers suffered an embarrassing 5-0 loss to London rivals 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, 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 their loss at Crystal Palace, another London club.
And it added to the pressure on Moyes that had been mounting all season, with West Ham fans criticising him throughout the campaign for perceived negative tactics.
West Ham are 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 honour since they won the 1980 FA Cup.
But they were knocked out of the Europa League last month following a quarter-final 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 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.
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