West Ham stance on replacing David Moyes with Champions League-winning manager emerges amid relegation scrap

David Moyes is under huge pressure as West Ham manager but the club’s board of directors do not view a Champions League-winning boss as a viable replacement, TEAMtalk understands.

Moyes first became West Ham manager in November 2017, replacing Slaven Bilic after the club won just two of their first 11 Premier League games in the 2017-18 campaign. West Ham made it known that Moyes was only joining the club on a short-term basis, with his main objective being to keep them in the Premier League.

The Scot succeeded, with the Hammers finishing the season in 13th place and on 42 points. However, club chiefs walked away from the chance to appoint Moyes for a longer period and ultimately brought in Manuel Pellegrini.

However, Moyes returned to the London Stadium in December 2019 following Pellegrini’s sacking. He has enjoyed far more success in his second spell, guiding them into the Europa League and then Europa Conference League with consecutive top-seven finishes.

Unfortunately for Moyes and West Ham, they have struggled to build on those achievements and are now in a relegation battle after winning just five out of 21 league matches thus far.

Victory against Moyes’ former club Everton on January 21, followed by the recent 1-1 draw with high-flying Newcastle, have improved West Ham’s league standing slightly.

Despite this, TEAMtalk has been told that Moyes remains under serious pressure at the club. The West Ham board have been considering his position recently, as well as looking at potential replacements in the dugout.

As it stands, senior West Ham officials are not convinced that the possible successors are worth sacking Moyes for.

West Ham unlikely to appoint former Chelsea man

Top-class managers such as former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino and Champions League winner Thomas Tuchel are not viewed as being viable options, either by the club or the coaches themselves, TEAMtalk understands.

This does not leave a host of suitable candidates, and those that remain available are doing little to convince David Sullivan that axing Moyes is the way to go.

Of course, the team’s form will be telling. And a run of defeats for Moyes will see Sullivan rethink his current stance.

Meanwhile, Kieran Trippier believes a West Ham star is better than a player in his position from Manchester United.