West Ham midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate has revealed one of the key motivations for their performance against Tottenham on Friday night was to show the squad’s backing for manager Slaven Bilic.
The Croatian has been the subject of intense speculation about his future at the club over the past few months, with the Guardian recently reporting that he had two home games to save his job.
With one home win already in the bag after the victory against Spurs, Kouyate is pleased for his boss. He told the club’s official website:
“Despite all the speculation, Slaven was very confident before the game. We were right behind him the entire way. He said before the match that this was like a final for us and so we are very happy that we’ve won it for him.”
After a difficult campaign, the Hammers still find themselves just three points off eighth place heading into the last two games of the Premier League season. Their result on Friday night, and West Brom’s draw against Burnley at the weekend means Bilic’s side are in touching distance of the Baggies, although Tony Pulis’s team do still have a game in hand.
