May 17, (THEWILL)- West Ham United manager David Moyes has stated that the club’s focus is on finishing the season strongly in his final game in charge, despite the Hammers having a potential role in deciding whether Manchester City or Arsenal win the English Premier League title. In a press conference ahead of West Ham’s trip to league leaders Manchester City on Sunday, Moyes emphasised that his team is playing for themselves and not to impact the title race.
“We’re not playing to make Manchester City lose the Premier League and we’re not playing to make Arsenal win the Premier League. We’re playing for West Ham and we’re trying to win the game for West Ham,” Moyes told reporters. The 61-year-old Scot added, “We can’t finish lower than ninth, which is a really good league position for West Ham in lots of ways.”
While acknowledging the bond between West Ham and former player Declan Rice, who joined Arsenal for £105 million last year, Moyes made it clear that the team’s motivation is not tied to aiding Rice’s chances of winning the Premier League. “Everybody here loves Declan, everybody will remember him. But we’re not doing it for Declan, we’re doing it for ourselves,” he stated.
Moyes returned to West Ham for a second spell in 2019 when the club was hovering above the relegation zone. Under his guidance, the Hammers won their first trophy in 43 years by claiming the Europa Conference League title last season. As he prepares to depart by mutual consent at the end of the current campaign, Moyes expressed pride in bringing stability to the London side.
“I’ve been in and out of work at different times, but this time I’m happy to be stepping aside. I’m pleased with the work I’ve done here at West Ham and will leave in good spirits,” Moyes said. “I’m very proud to be able to say I helped deliver European football to West Ham. The amount of games we’ve played has been huge, and there are lots of things that show our success.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
