David Moyes has reportedly told friends that he has decided to leave West Ham at the end of the season, as speculation continues regarding his future.
The 61-year-old is enjoying his second spell in charge of the Hammers, most notably guiding them to UEFA Europa Conference League glory last season.
It was arguably the greatest achievement of Moyes’ managerial career and there was hope that West Ham would again kick on this term.
While it has been an adequate campaign overall, there have been times when the east Londoners have disappointed, and they departed the Europa League at the quarter-final stage last week.
Meanwhile, a mid-table finish in the Premier League is feeling increasingly likely, especially following Sunday’s dispiriting 5-2 defeat away to Crystal Palace.
With Moyes now deciding whether to sign a new deal at West Ham or leave this summer, Football Insider claim that the Scot has decided upon the latter option:
“David Moyes has privately informed friends that he expects to leave West Ham at the end of the season, sources have told Football Insider.
“The Hammers boss has admitted to them that he ‘can’t win the fans over whatever I do’ as the speculation around his future continues to ramp up.”
It does feel as though Moyes leaving when the current season reaches its conclusion is the best natural outcome, having arguably taken this West Ham team as far as he can.
He has been a great servant, guiding the Hammers to trophy success and creating one of their strongest sides of the Premier League era, but things are at risk of growing stale.
This is a squad littered with talent, not least with the likes of Lucas Paqueta, Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus, and a younger, more attack-minded manager could get more out of them.
That’s not to say that Moyes staying on would be a disaster, but he has now been at the London Stadium since 2019, also managing West Ham separately between 2017 and 2018, which is a lengthy spell in the modern game.
The Hammers have been linked with the likes of Julen Lopetegui and Ruben Amorim, with the former managing Wolves earlier this season and the latter currently in charge of Sporting CP, and both could represent strong options.