11 December 2023 , 15:32
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West Ham are unlikely to offer David Moyes a new contract but the Scot retains the backing of the club’s board to see out the season despite Sunday’s hammering at Fulham.
Moyes, who steered the Hammers to their first trophy in 43 years last season, blamed the 5-0 defeat at Craven Cottage on a tight turnaround from their win away to Tottenham last Thursday night.
Illness has also swept through the team and the players were given Monday and Tuesday off training to minimise the spread. The Hammers hierarchy believe that Moyes can produce an uptick in performances, with the club still battling in four competitions. But the expectation is that he will depart when his current deal expires at the end of the campaign.
Last month the 60-year-old said he was relaxed about his future and there have been no discussions around a new deal. Eyebrows were raised when Moyes claimed after the Spurs win that his squad, which has had £275m of investment in the past two years, would not be capable of challenging the Premier League ’s top six.
They are unlikely to be busy in the January transfer window, despite the need for a striker and Moyes having reservations around a number of fringe players.
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He has been reluctant to make too many changes during a hectic spell but admitted his hand will be forced by five games in 14 days to close out the year. West Ham face Freiburg in the Europa League on Thursday night looking for a win that would see them bypass the first knockout round.
And captain Kurt Zouma is calling on his team-mates to respond immediately after delivering a brutal assessment of the Fulham loss. “It was one of the worst games we’ve ever played since I’ve been here,” Zouma said. “But it’s behind us, it’s done, there’s nothing we can do about it. We can react and try to make it gone for good if we win the next one or two games.
“Physically, we were nowhere near the levels, even mentally I would say we were nowhere near the levels, me first. It’s a day to forget and we have to take responsibility. Losing 5-0 there’s nothing to say, just sorry to the fans that came to support us. It’s a day to forget and we have to bounce back very quickly.”