Moyes contract on hold after Hammers slump

WEST HAM’S worrying dip in form is delaying David Moyes’s new contract as the club want to see a response to the slump which culminated in Sunday’s 6-0 capitulation at home to Arsenal. That defeat saw supporters vote with their feet as thousands left the London Stadium once the Hammers went 4-0 down before half-time, with Moyes slamming his team as ‘weak’.

Sources confirmed after West Ham’s 2-0 win at Arsenal in December that the club were ready to hand a new deal to the Scot, 60, whose contract expires at the end of this season. Moyes said two weeks ago that an extension until June 2026 was on its way to being finalised.

Yet West Ham have not won in the Premier League since that victory at the Emirates Stadium and there is now an acceptance they must prioritise solving their problems on the pitch.

There is pressure on Moyes (right) to respond with a good run of fixtures coming up against Nottingham Forest, Brentford, Everton and Burnley.

Moyes is understood to feel frustrated with the lack of appreciation for what he has achieved at West Ham. He said after Sunday’s 6-0 defeat: ‘Let’s be fair, the last three years have probably been as good a time as West Ham have had. Sixth, seventh in the league, semi-final of Europe (Europa League), a final of a European competition (Europa Conference League, which West Ham won). This club has grown.

‘We’ve had a terrible day so I understand totally them (the fans) leaving. We had a bad day. But I certainly won’t forget the good ones.’