David Moyes is set to discuss his future with West Ham owner David Sullivan today. With a 2-1 victory over Fiorentina on Wednesday in Prague, Moyes gave the team its first trophy in 43 years. Now the focus will be on how the team builds on the triumph. In light of Declan Rice’s impending departure this summer, they will also talk about how to invest in the team moving ahead. Sullivan said that because of a gentleman’s agreement, they will permit a player with two years left on his contract to go.
“I believe that it must be. We assured him he could leave. He had his heart set on moving, and when the time came, he had to go on, therefore we needed to find a successor,” West Ham owner David Sullivan said about Declan Rice.
Rice, meanwhile, heaped praise on Moyes during the club’s trophy parade. “I believe he will be remembered as the greatest manager West Ham has ever had,” Rice added about David Moyes. “Given the conditions at the time he originally joined, we finished sixth and seventh, advanced to the Europa League semifinal, and now we have won the cup. He is deserving of all the praise. A superb dude, he is.”
After praising his first major prize triumph as the finest night of his career, David Moyes gave his father his Europa Conference League winner’s medal. West Ham defeated Fiorentina 2-1 in the final in Prague thanks to a last-second winner from Jarrod Bowen, giving them their first trophy since the FA Cup in 1980 and their first European crown since 1965. At the conclusion of West Ham’s European tour, Moyes’ father, 87-year-old David Snr., joined his son on the pitch.
“Since he was the first, I reasoned that I should put the rope around his neck. Over the years, he has seen a lot, and I hope he loved it. He still has a lot of energy and wants to attend the game. It was wonderful to have your family attend the game,” Moyes said. “As a manager, these situations don’t occur frequently. You must put forth a lot of effort. The entire family, including the little boys, wants to help you. In football, there are times when you don’t get enough wonderful moments, but this is a tremendous moment for us.”
Only nine weeks prior, Moyes observed the ‘Moyes Out’ flag being raised by the visiting supporters during a 1-0 victory against Fulham, which most certainly saved his job. The manager has now cemented his place alongside Ron Greenwood and John Lyall as trophy-winning West Ham managers by helping to break the club’s 43-year trophy drought. The team has now qualified for Europe three seasons in a row, making them eligible for the Europa League next season.
“I would have to say that it was my finest day as a manager because it’s not often that you get to celebrate, have your family around, and win in the closing seconds of a game (we did that against Alkmaar, too). Tonight was fantastic, it feels terrific,” he added. “If someone had told me three years ago that we would avoid relegation and finish in Europe, they most likely would have thought I was crazy. Then, to repeat it the next two years and get to the semifinals and then the finals—wow.”
“Yes, we are aware that our Premier League performance hasn’t been terrific this year, but this tournament has been fantastic for us. The players have displayed extraordinary skill,” he continued. “Actually, I believe that the past two years have been an amazing adventure. When you consider some of the extremely talented teams who struggle in Europe, doing so well there is an amazing accomplishment. We successfully converted a mediocre season into a fantastic one, which is to our great credit.”
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