David Moyes reveals West Ham changed their minds as his contract was due to expire last season - as former manager opens up on his departure from the club
- David Moyes left West Ham when his contract expired at the end of last season
- The Scot has revealed that the club had offered him a new deal last December
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David Moyes has opened up on his departure from West Ham and revealed the club's owners withdrew their offer of a new contract last season.
Moyes, 61, left the London Stadium in the summer after four-and-a-half years in the role.
During his tenure - which was his second stint as Hammers boss - Moyes helped the club to qualify for Europe in three successive seasons, with the Scot famously leading them to the Europa League Conference title in 2022-23.
However, amid a dip in form and disgruntlement from fans about his style of play, it was announced that Moyes would leave the club once his contract expired at the end of the 2023-24 campaign.
And, Moyes - who publicly revealed in February that he had been offered a new deal - reflected on his exit and said the chance to extend his time with the club was revoked.
David Moyes has revealed West Ham's owners withdrew their offer of a new deal last season
Moyes spent four-and-a-half years as Hammers boss in what was his second stint in the role
The Scot claimed West Ham chairman David Sullivan (right) revoked the original contract offer
'We [West Ham] beat Arsenal on December 28, at The Emirates, and that day the club had offered me a new contract,' he said on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet.
'We then went on a three-game losing streak, lost to Manchester United and Nottingham Forest, and I hadn’t signed the contract as I wasn’t sure if I should stay.
'The contract wasn’t a great contract, but David Sullivan withdrew the contract just off the back of those results. We then said we’d wait and make a decision at the end of the season.'
West Ham's form continued to dip in the second half of the campaign, with the Hammers suffering heavy defeats by the likes of Arsenal, Crystal Palace and Chelsea.
During the difficult run, which saw Moyes win just two of his final 11 games in charge, the frustration among fans grew towards the Scot, before he was given an emotional send off at their final home game of the season once news of his departure was confirmed.
And Moyes, who led the club to ninth place, admitted things did become trickier as media scrutiny rose, which saw the club openly courting other coaches such as Ruben Amorim and Julen Lopetegui.
Nevertheless, he claimed he held no bad feelings towards Sullivan and the West Ham board despite their actions.
'You can see where it was becoming difficult,' he added. 'They did offer a contract, but I wasn’t overly happy with it and wasn’t quite ready to do it at the time.
Moyes famously guided the Hammers to the Europa Conference League title in 2022-23
Moyes said an emotional goodbye to West Ham fans once his departure was confirmed
He was replaced by Julen Lopetegui, but the Spaniard has struggled so far in east London
'It all worked out fine and I’ve got no animosity with him and no wonder (as) we worked so well together.
'It’s very difficult for managers who go into the last year of their contract and if you’re the owners it’s probably a difficult situation if you’re not sure whether you should keep them.
'It would have been better if we could have somehow disguised it from the media, from the public, if we could have found a way of saying there was another years’ contract.'
He continued: 'West Ham were very good to me – they brought me back a second time. I was thinking about it – I was at West Ham for four years, and three of those years were in Europe.
'If you just look at that at a general thing, you’d think "My goodness" – how many managers would give their right arm to have that sort of level.'
Moyes was succeeded by Julen Lopetegui, but the Hammers have endured a mixed start to the season and currently sit 14th, with the Spaniard under-fire in his role.
David Moyes was speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet
