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West Ham to reward David Moyes with new contract at end of season

West Ham are delighted with their revival under David Moyes and intend to reward him with a new contract at the end of the season.

Moyes is nearing the end of his 18-month deal, and although that includes an option for a further year, the desire is to hand him a long-term contract. The situation is different from the Scot’s first spell at the London Stadium. Although Moyes saved West Ham from relegation after replacing Slaven Bilic on a six-month deal in November 2018, the board decided to go in a different direction at the end of the campaign, hiring Manuel Pellegrini.

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Senior figures at West Ham accept that it was a mistake not to keep Moyes, who returned for a second spell after replacing Pellegrini in December 2019. After staying up last season West Ham lie seventh, two points below fourth-placed Liverpool.

In normal circumstances West Ham might already have offered Moyes fresh terms. However the financial impact of the pandemic means they are unsure what they would be able to offer the former Everton manager were negotiations to begin now. They hope the picture will be clearer in May.

Moyes is understood to be relaxed about the situation. He is settled at West Ham and offers them welcome stability. He has made the team harder to beat and has impressed with a limited budget in the transfer market. Jarrod Bowen, Tomas Soucek, Craig Dawson and Vladimir Coufal have been excellent since joining.

The immediate challenge for West Ham is whether they can sign a striker. They sold Sébastien Haller to Ajax for £20m this month and are exploring options after having bids for Sevilla’s Youssef En-Nesyri and Montpellier’s Gaëtan Laborde rejected. They have looked at Bournemouth’s Joshua King, Cagliari’s Gio Simeone and Reims’ Boulaye Dia. Eintracht Frankfurt’s André Silva, who has scored 13 goals in all competitions this season, could be available at the right price.

Moyes has always adopted a cautious approach with transfers. If the right player is not available, it is understood that West Ham are prepared to sign a striker on a short-term loan and wait until the summer before spending.