Ex-West Ham Boss Moyes Could Deepen Hammers’ Relegation Woes

Moyes could push West Ham toward drop

David Moyes goes back to West Ham with Everton on Saturday. He won the Conference League with the Hammers but now could hurt their survival bid.

 

David Moyes heads back to London stadium as Everton face West Ham in relegation scrap...

Everton boss David Moyes goes back to the London Stadium on Saturday with the inside track that could dent West Ham United’s bid to avoid Premier League relegation.

Moyes managed West Ham twice - first steering them clear of the drop in a brief spell, then guiding them into Europe and lifting the 2023 UEFA Conference League in his second.

 

Everton are in the hunt for Europe under Moyes, while Nuno Espirito Santo’s West Ham sit 17th and locked in a tense battle to stay up.

Moyes has no point to prove, but the idea that West Ham fans never fully valued him could still be on his mind as he returns to East London.

West Ham hold a two-point cushion over 18th-place Tottenham, who meet last-place Wolves on Saturday. Dropping points could send them back into the bottom three with four games to go.

Espirito Santo recognizes Everton’s threat and admits Moyes’s deep knowledge of the West Ham squad makes an already crucial match even tougher.

“(Former team) managers have the advantage of knowing the players, sometimes the routines,” the Portuguese, who replaced Graham Potter in September, told reporters.

“In this case, David knows the routines, knows the players. So we have ‌to try and make new things happen so we do not become so predictable.”

 

Espirito Santo, who led Nottingham Forest to Europe last season before being sacked in September, says facing a former club as a manager carries extra weight.

“It is always a special game due to the respect and love that you have from former clubs, but you want to win. You want to compete and win,” he said.

▶️ David Moyes is asked about tomorrow being his 750th @PremierLeague game as a manager, and closing in on Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger. pic.twitter.com/c8ELPIN35f

— Everton (@Everton) April 24, 2026

West Ham let a chance to go four points clear of Tottenham slip with Monday’s 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace, but Espirito Santo still backs them to stay up after clawing back from seven points adrift in January.

“I think the performance of the team gives us all in the club the hope and the belief that we are competing well,” he said.

“All the squad ⁠is available, so having all ⁠the options to try and ‌help us is very important for us.”