LONDON
\nWest Ham manager David Moyes will leave \u201cby mutual consent\u201d when his contract expires at the end of the season, the Premier League club said Monday.
\nThe announcement of Moyes\u2019s impending exit came just a day after the Hammers suffered an embarrassing 5-0 loss to London rivals Chelsea.
\n\u201cWest 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,\u201d said a club statement.
\nMonday\u2019s 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.
\nThe Chelsea defeat was the second successive away game where West Ham conceded five goals following their loss at Crystal Palace, another London club.
\nAnd 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.
\nWest Ham are currently ninth in the table, a huge 18 points adrift of the top four.
\nMoyes, however, guided West Ham to the Europa Conference League title last season — the club\u2019s first major honour since they won the 1980 FA Cup.
\nBut they were knocked out of the Europa League last month following a quarter-final loss to Bayer Leverkusen.
\n\u201cI 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,\u201d Moyes told the club\u2019s website.
\nThe 61-year-old Scot, a former manager of both Everton and Manchester United, added: \u201cAfter 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\u2019s first major trophy in 43 years.
\n\u201cI 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.\u201d
\nWest Ham joint-chairman David Sullivan paid tribute to Moyes by saying: \u201cOn 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.
\n\u201cDavid 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,\u201d added Sullivan, who hailed Moyes as an \u201cabsolute professional\u201d.
\nSullivan said making the announcement with two games left to play in the league season \u201callows 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\u201d.
\nLopetegui could now be set to succeed Moyes at the London Stadium.
\nThe 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.
\nThe 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LONDON West Ham manager David Moyes will leave \u201cby mutual consent\u201d when his contract expires at the end of the season, the Premier League club said Monday. The announcement of Moyes\u2019s impending exit came just a day after the Hammers suffered an embarrassing 5-0 loss to London rivals Chelsea. \u201cWest Ham United can confirm David […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":405516,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-405499","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n