West Ham United continue to back manager Julen Lopetegui, despite a disappointing start to the Premier League season, and are not considering a return for David Moyes, according to reports from Fabrizio Romano.
Recent speculation suggested that Moyes, who left the club just a few months ago, might make a shock return to the London Stadium.
However, Romano has dismissed these rumours, making it clear that West Ham are standing by Lopetegui for now, even after another frustrating Premier League result.
The Hammers were held to a 1-1 draw by Brentford over the weekend, with Tomas Soucek’s second-half goal salvaging a point for Lopetegui’s side. Despite the draw, West Ham remain without a win since the international break, leaving them 14th in the Premier League table after six games.
Lopetegui made a few tweaks to his starting line-up for the Brentford match, giving Jean-Clair Todibo his first Premier League start and placing Michail Antonio in a front three alongside Jarrod Bowen and Mohamed Kudus.
However, the performance once again left much to be desired, with the team struggling to find the cohesion and sharpness required to take all three points.
Next up for the Hammers is a clash with Premier League newcomers Ipswich Town, their final match before the October international break. It is a fixture that now takes on added significance, with Lopetegui under increasing pressure to turn things around.
Writing in his Daily Briefing, Romano reiterated that there are no talks of bringing back Moyes at this stage.
He wrote: “Despite West Ham’s struggles and talk of a possible return for David Moyes as manager, I have zero information on this – zero confirmation, nothing at all.
“West Ham as a club keep supporting Julen Lopetegui and waiting for better results after many player changes in the summer. I have no info on Moyes returning or any idea, discussion or contact so far.”
David Moyes left West Ham by mutual consent at the end of last season, after four-and-a-half years in charge. His time at the club saw the Hammers achieve two top-seven Premier League finishes and lift the Europa Conference League trophy in 2023, marking West Ham’s first major silverware in 43 years.
However, Moyes’ tenure came under scrutiny after a poor run of results, with a 5-0 defeat at Chelsea in May proving to be the final blow. The club parted ways with the Scotsman shortly after that heavy loss, bringing in Lopetegui to usher in a new era.
Despite spending close to £140m in the summer on new signings, West Ham’s defensive frailties persist.
Lopetegui’s side has already conceded 10 goals in six matches, with only Wolves, Everton, and Leicester having a worse defensive record so far this season.
This has raised concerns that the defensive issues which troubled the side under Moyes are still unresolved under the new management.
As the team continues to search for its first win since the international break, the pressure on Lopetegui to deliver results is mounting.