West Ham manager David Moyes is in the final year of his current contract as manager of West Ham – but does he deserve a new one?
Moyes signed an 18-month deal when he took charge of West Ham back in December last year. That means it’s up for renewal in June, and up to the Hammers if they want to keep him on.
The Scot replaced Manuel Pellegrini when the club was sitting 17th in the Premier League, one point above the relegation spots and firmly in a relegation dogfight.
West Ham signed three players in January with the hope they could keep the Hammers in the top flight, including winger Jarrod Bowen from Hull City and Tomas Soucek on loan from Slavia Prague.
But Moyes did not hit the ground running. Although the Hammers thumped Bournemouth 4-0 in his first game in charge, West Ham would only win one more fixture before lockdown came into effect.
When the Premier League was halted due to the COVID pandemic, the Hammers sat 16th, but only above the relegation spots on goal difference. Three goals, to be precise.
After lockdown though, what Moyes had been working on behind the scenes started to take shape. Arguably, it was a blessing in disguise that he had this extra time to implement what he wanted to work on.
West Ham had a tough run of fixtures post-lockdown, playing Wolves, Spurs and Chelsea. The Hammers put in a spirited display against Tottenham before the Chelsea win proved to be the catalyst for turning things around.
The Hammers would not be kept quiet in the 3-2 win. West Ham kept exploiting the Blues’ defensive frailties to maximum effect, which proved to be the boost that would keep them in the Premier League.
Crucial wins against Norwich City and Watford shortly followed, with a 1-1 draw at Manchester United confirming survival. A draw at home to Aston Villa on the final day would see West Ham finish 16th, five points above the relegation spots.
A chance for Moyes to rebuild in the summer? Not entirely… The Hammers made just four additions in the summer transfer window, including Said Benrahma from Brentford on deadline day, plus Tomas Soucek’s permanent transfer to the Olympic Stadium.
This season didn’t get off to the best start for Moyes. Two losses out of two in the league, at Newcastle and an unlucky defeat to Arsenal.
But since then, the Hammers are unbeaten in their last four in the Premier League, all against sides which finished in the top 7 last season. A 4-0 thumping of Wolves and a 3-0 win at Leicester have been backed up by a remarkable comeback against Spurs and a point against pre-season favourites Manchester City.
West Ham have had a tricky start to the season, and it gets even harder this weekend with a trip to Liverpool. But performances and results in games against sides the Hammers hope to beat will define how they do this season.
Managers such as Eddie Howe, Mark Hughes and Nigel Pearson are all looking for their next job at the helm of a football club.
But with the direction the club seems to be going in on the pitch, and with football, of course, being a results-based business, if this trajectory continues, Moyes will have done more than enough to earn an extension come to the end of the season.
There’s a lot of football to be played between now and then though.