West Ham United have confirmed that manager David Moyes has left the club following the expiry of his short-term contract.
The former Manchester United and Everton boss took over at West Ham in November and his sole objective was to keep the club in the Premier League. The Scot achieved this feat with nine wins and ten draws from 31 games, the BBC reports.
Moyes’s assistants Alan Irvine, Stuart Pearce and Billy McKinlay have also left the club, West Ham announced in a statement.
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Joint-chairman David Sullivan said: “I would like to place on record my sincere thanks to David Moyes and his staff for achieving the target of keeping West Ham United in the Premier League.
“Throughout his time here, David has carried himself with dignity and honesty and we have all found him to be a pleasure to work with. He, Alan, Stuart and Billy accepted the challenge and attacked it head on, turning around a difficult situation. They deserve great respect for the job they have done and they leave the club with our best wishes.
“When David and his team arrived, it was the wish of both parties that the focus be only on the six months until the end of the season, at which point a decision would be made with regards to the future. Having taken stock of the situation and reflected now the campaign is complete, we feel that it is right to move in a different direction.”
Sullivan also confirmed that West Ham are “already taking steps” to identify and recruit the club’s next manager.
Who are the favourites for the job?
The Football.London website reports that Paulo Fonseca is one of the favourites to take over at West Ham. Fonseca, who has also been linked with the vacant Everton job, is currently manager of Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine.
According to Oddschecker Manuel Pellegrini is the early favourite. The Chilean won the Premier League and two League Cups as manager of Manchester City until 2016.
The Daily Express adds that Newcastle’s Rafael Benitez and former Watford boss Marco Silva - the favourite for the Everton job - are also in the running, as is former Paris Saint-Germain manager Unai Emery.
West Ham next manager betting odds
Latest prices according to Oddschecker (as of 16 May):
- Manuel Pellegrini: 5/2
- Rafa Benitez: 9/1
- Paulo Fonseca: 10/1
- Paolo Di Canio: 16/1
- Unai Emery: 20/1
- Gary Rowett: 20/1
- Claudio Ranieri: 25/1
- Carlo Ancelotti: 25/1
Sky Bet latest prices:
- Paulo Fonseca: 4/6
- Manuel Pellegrini: 11/8
- Rafael Benitez: 8/1
- Unai Emery: 10/1
- Marco Silva: 11/1
- Claudio Ranieri: 20/1
- Carlo Ancelotti: 22/1
- Louis Van Gaal: 22/1
