West Ham United’s search for David Moyes’ potential successor features a list of managers with a wide range of different personalities, playing styles and philosophies, which begs a familiar question: do the board really know who, and what, they want?
With Moyes’ contract set to expire at the end of this season and talk of a new one going quiet, those West Ham have held discussions with include Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim and former Spain and Real Madrid coach Julen Lopetegui. Graham Potter (formerly of Brighton and Chelsea), Paulo Fonseca (Lille) and Sebastian Hoeness (Stuttgart) are among the other contenders.
West Ham’s recent history shows they have never always settled on the same type of manager, from Gianfranco Zola, to Avram Grant, to Sam Allardyce, to Slaven Bilic, to Moyes, to Manuel Pellegrini and back to Moyes again. Although this is a common theme at most clubs, that identity is something West Ham have struggled with.
The statement when they let Moyes go, also at the end of his contract, in May 2018 sums it up: “We aim to appoint a high-calibre figure who we feel will lead the club into an exciting future for our loyal supporters within the next ten days.”
Then after 18 months of Pellegrini, Pep Guardiola’s title-winning Manchester City predecessor and another former Real Madrid boss, they reappointed Moyes. It feels like West Ham are at exactly the stage again six years later, pursuing a “high-calibre figure” who will lead them into an exciting future.
Tim Steidten, the technical director, and majority shareholder David Sullivan will have a considerable say in the next manager. The Athletic previously highlighted how Amorim differs from Moyes and why he is so sought-after in the game. Lopetegui, Potter, Fonseca and Hoeness also have many strengths that the board will view positively.
So, who could be West Ham’s manager when next season kicks off in August?
David Moyes
On Friday, during his press conference ahead of the home match today (Saturday) against Liverpool, Moyes reiterated once more that a decision over his future will be made once the season is over, which is now less than a month away.
“The important thing is things would need to be right between me and the club,” Moyes said. “If we get that right then we’ll see what happens, but it would be at the end of the season. It’s not as if I’ve changed track in any way, we’ve always said a decision will be made at the end of the season. As far as I’m concerned that will still be the decision after the final game against Manchester City. It’s what me and the board are happy to do.”
In February, Moyes revealed an offer is on the table. That same month, after a 2-0 away defeat against relegation candidates Nottingham Forest, he defended his tenure at the east London club.
“I don’t think we can ever please everybody, but I think it would be hard to say there have been many better times at West Ham,” he said. “I think they’ll (the fans) honestly have to say that it’s as good a time as there’s been at the club regarding winning a trophy (last season’s Europa Conference League) and league positions. Maybe there’ll be managers who excite them more, possibly. But the one who’s sitting here wins more.”
Since Moyes returned for a second stint in charge in December 2019, West Ham have vastly improved their player recruitment, lifted their first major trophy since 1980, and been regular challengers for European qualification via the Premier League. But he has been under pressure recently, with West Ham winning only four of their 21 games in all competitions this calendar year.
There have also been frustrations among supporters over his style of play, in-game management and use of substitutes.
Julen Lopetegui
The 57-year-old Spaniard has been on West Ham’s radar for eight months, having been out of work since leaving Wolves in August, just days before their first game of the season, and has held talks over potentially replacing Moyes. He has also held discussions with Bayern Munich about replacing Thomas Tuchel, who will leave the serial German champions this summer.
Loptetegui has a wealth of experience, having also managed Porto, Spain’s national team, Real Madrid and Sevilla, where he won the 2019-20 Europa League.
In 27 games as Wolves’ manager, he won 10, drew six and lost 11, steering them out of relegation trouble after replacing Bruno Lage in November 2022 when they were bottom of the Premier League. But he clashed with chairman Jeff Shi over the transfer budget, and staff found him difficult to work with. In an in-depth article about his departure, Lopetegui was described by one Wolves staff member as being an unapproachable, prickly figure.
Lopetegui would hope to redeem himself at West Ham, but he is considered a defensive-minded manager, as opposed to Potter, Amorim, Fonseca and Hoeness, who are seen as having more attacking philosophies.
Graham Potter
Out of work since being sacked as Chelsea manager last April, 48-year-old Potter is known for his tactical flexibility. Formations during his three-year tenure in the Premier League at Brighton & Hove Albion ranged from 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1, 3-4-3 and 3-5-2. The West Ham board are open to the idea of appointing a successor to Moyes who would bring an entirely different playing style.
“I want a tactically flexible, possession-based team,” Potter has said, when asked about his philosophy. “Players who are brave, who aren’t afraid to make mistakes, who can get on the ball and show courage and really try to enjoy their football.”
The significant part of the game plans created by Fonseca, Amorim, Hoeness and Potter is for their teams to press the opposition. In 2019-20, Potter’s first season there, Brighton ranked seventh in the Premier League for PPDA — a proxy of pressing intensity.
It is Moyes’ preference to have a successful low-block, counter-attacking style, with his team having less possession than their opponents. But this remains one of the frustrations supporters have with how West Ham play.
Potter also shows a willingness to give youth a chance. During his time at Brighton, he brought down the average age of the squad as he turned a series of academy prospects into first-team players.
Integrating youngsters into the first team is an area Moyes has struggled with. West Ham Under-18s won the FA Youth Cup last season but, of that side, Divin Mubama has played the most minutes in the 2023-24 Premier League — a paltry 76. West Ham rank second bottom in the division this season for minutes of game time for players aged 21 and under.
Brighton came 17th in the 2018-19 Premier League under Chris Hughton, with fans frustrated with his counter-attacking football. After Potter replaced him, they markedly improved in style while securing 15th-, 16th- and ninth-place finishes.
Paulo Fonseca
Fonseca, 51, has been on West Ham’s radar for… six years.
The Portuguese, then with Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk, had talks with Sullivan when Moyes was jettisoned at the end of the 2017-18 season. Sullivan, however, opted to appoint Pellegrini. Fonseca stayed at Shakhtar for the following campaign, then moved on to Italy’s Roma and is now managing Lille in France.
When Fonseca got the Lille job in summer 2022, he was about to embark on a rebuild. They had just finished 10th in Ligue 1, following the noticeable departures of Boubakary Soumare, Sven Botman, Mike Maignan, Jonathan Ikone and Luiz Araujo from their 2020-21 title-winning squad. He was given the license to build a new team using young players who offered resale value and also wanted to implement a new style which would allow Lille to dominate games.
Comparing their 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons using The Athletic’s playstyle data, there are significant jumps in Lille’s use of a high line, deep build-up and possession control.
The decision to build a younger side has had the desired effect: Lille are fourth, one point behind Brest and in contention for a Champions League spot, with four games to go.
Seven of Fonseca’s most-used players in Ligue 1 this season are under 25. Goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, 22, has kept 15 clean sheets, second-most in Ligue 1. Centre-back Leny Yoro, 18, has been linked with Real Madrid, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain. Tiago Santos, 21, has impressed at right-back, while former Manchester United youngster Angel Gomes, also 23, and Jonathan David, 24, a previous West Ham transfer target, have been important in Foncesca’s 4-2-3-1 system.
Should Steidten and Sullivan appoint Fonseca as Moyes’ successor, his experience of a rebuild at Lille will serve him well.
West Ham are set to lose Lucas Paqueta this summer, with his £85million release clause activating in June. Aaron Cresswell, Angelo Ogbonna, Ben Johnson and Mubama are set to leave when their contracts expire at the end of the season. Vladimir Coufal’s long-term outlook appears bleak given frustrations over his contract, while Mohammed Kudus will have admirers this summer after a strong first year in English football and Nayef Aguerd is the subject of interest from clubs in the Saudi Pro League.
Four of the 11 players in Moyes’ starting XI against Crystal Palace last weekend were aged 30 and over. West Ham also have the highest average age, 30.5, for starting line-ups in the 2023-24 Premier League. The average age of Lille’s teams, by contrast, is 25.
Fonseca has helped make their Stade Pierre-Mauroy a fortress. Lille have won 24 of 34 home league games under him, losing only three — the fewest defeats on their own turf by any Ligue 1 team since he took over. Last season, they achieved a club record of 22 home matches unbeaten. They struggle on their travels, though, with Fonseca registering more league away losses (12) than wins (nine).
Sebastian Hoeness
Hoeness was appointed Stuttgart manager in early April last year, inheriting a side who were bottom of the German Bundesliga and five points off safety. The 41-year-old brought a revolution in style and belief to what had been a counter-attacking team, playing with a back three and often relying solely on their speed on the break to create chances.
Stuttgart lost only one of their remaining eight games, winning three, to finish third-bottom, then demolished second-tier Hamburg 6-1 in a play-off to decide who would be in the 2023-24 top flight. Fast-forward to today and Stuttgart are third, three points behind serial champions Bayern Munich and heading for Champions League qualification. The additions of forwards Sehrou Guirassy and Deniz Undav (on loan from Brighton), and winger Chris Fuhrich have helped transform the club. That trio have scored a combined 53 goals this season.
With Hoeness’ stock rising, he has been linked with the Bayern job as well as West Ham. But earlier this month, he was rewarded with a contract extension until June 2027. His initial deal was set to expire after next season.
Moyes and Hoeness share a similar story in their struggles before managing West Ham and Stuttgart respectively. Hoeness was appointed manager of another Bundesliga club, Hoffenheim, in summer 2020 and had a bright start as they briefly contended for a top-four spot. But after they failed to win any of their final nine league games of 2021-22 and finished mid-table, Hoeness was dismissed. As for Moyes, it is well documented the former Everton boss struggled at Manchester United, Real Sociedad and Sunderland before reinventing himself at West Ham.
Similar to Fonseca, Hoeness is happy to give young talent a chance: Enzo Millot, 21, Angelo Stiller and Jamie Leweling, both 23, have all thrived this season.
In January 2021, Moyes signed an underappreciated talent in Jesse Lingard on loan from Manchester United and helped him earn an England recall. Hoeness also has a knack of getting little-regarded players to excel.
Defender Konstantinos Mavropanos, now in Moyes’ squad at West Ham, failed to make his mark at Arsenal before impressing during two loan spells at Stuttgart. After his best goalscoring season, five goals across 33 appearances in 2021-22, the Greece international joined them on a permanent deal in summer 2022. Full-back Maximilian Mittelstadt is another who is in the form of his career, with a return of two goals and five assists this season helping earn a first Germany call-up.
“Stuttgart have a coach in Sebastian Hoeness who, in terms of his personality, fits the team perfectly,” says Thomas Hitzlsperger, the former West Ham midfielder who was Stuttgart’s CEO for three years from 2019. “The people are thrilled about the way he lets his team play football, even more so because there had been many years in which there was not much to celebrate. It is fun again to be a supporter.”
Additional reporting: Mark Carey
(Top photos: Getty Images)
