West Ham are expected to confirm the appointment of David Moyes after Manuel Pellegrini was sacked following the club’s defeat by Leicester City on Saturday.
As The Independent revealed earlier this month, Moyes had been set to step in before West Ham’s win against Southampton a fortnight ago bought Pellegrini a brief reprieve.
However, back-to-back losses against Crystal Palace and a second-string Leicester side made Pellegrini’s departure unavoidable, with just two wins from 13 games leaving the club only a point clear of the relegation zone.
Sources close to the deal which will see Moyes return to the London Stadium have told The Independent that the Scot has effectively been on standby for the role while West Ham afforded Pellegrini every possible lifeline to turn around the club’s fortunes.
Moyes was initially set to be offered a short-term deal until the end of the season, however, it’s believed an 18-month contract is now being considered.
It had long been accepted by senior figures at the club that the Chilean’s departure, just 18 months into his three-year contract, had become inevitable, with succession plans put in place long before the decision was finally taken yesterday.
“It is with great disappointment that we’ve had to make this decision,” co-chairman David Sullivan said in a statement announcing Pellegrini’s dismissal on Saturday evening.
“Manuel is a gentleman and it has been a real pleasure to work with someone of his calibre. However, it has become clear that a change is required to get the club back on track in line with our ambitions this season.
“We felt it was necessary to act now in order to give the new manager as much time as possible to try and achieve that goal.”
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