LONDON - West Ham United has confirmed that coach David Moyes will leave the club at the end of the season after the English and Spanish press reported on Monday that former Spain and Real Madrid boss Julen Lopetegui will be his replacement.
"By making this announcement now, it allows 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," informed the club's joint chairman David Sullivan, who added Moyes had been "responsible for a period of great progress and success" at the east-London club.
"David has been an absolute professional to work with and he will leave with our greatest respect and good wishes - he deserves to be held in the highest esteem for the service he has given to West Ham United, and we wish him every success in the future," continued Sullivan, according to Xinhua.
Moyes had a brief stint at West Ham after replacing Slaven Bilic in 2017 and although he left the following summer, he returned in 2019 after Manuel Pellegrini was sacked with the club just above the bottom three.
Despite questions over his more defensive style of play, Moyes helped West Ham qualify for Europe in the 2020-2021 season after finishing sixth and the following year after finishing seventh.
Last June saw West Ham win the Conference League title against Fiorentina and this season they reached the quarterfinals of the Europa League, before losing to Bayern Leverkusen, who are unbeaten this season. - BERNAMA-XINHUA