The reports are true: West Ham United is going to a familiar name in a bid to save its Premier League status.
The Irons have appointed David Moyes to fill the shoes of Manuel Pellegrini, who was fired Saturday after a 2-1 loss to Leicester City.
West Ham is one point above the Bottom Three, with a match-in-hand on all of its relegation rivals.
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It’s an 18-month deal for Moyes, who returns to West Ham after a year-and-a-half outside management. He’s a three-time PFA Manager of the Year (2003, 2005, 2009), and led Preston to promotion in 2000.
Here are all of Moyes’ words from a release at WHUFC.com:“It’s fabulous to be back,” said Moyes. “It feels great to be home. I’ve missed being here because I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed being around the stadium and I loved being in this part of the world and I missed the Club, so I can’t wait to get started.
“I’m feeling very proud that I’m back here at West Ham. But I think more importantly I’ll be looking to see what I can do and what I can make improvements to, how we can get some wins with the players and how we can get some quick wins on the field as well.
“I do believe that the squad of players I’ve got here is a better squad of players than when I took over before, so I am looking forward to working with them.”
“I think there’s got to be a short-term goal for us just now to get the wins to get us away from the wrong end of the league and what we’re going to do over the next six months, then what we’re going to do over the next period as well. The start is really focusing on the immediate games.”
The 56-year-old Moyes is best known for his 11-year run as Everton boss, which was preceded by four seasons with Preston North End. He then underwent a tumultuous run as Sir Alex Ferguson’s hand-picked replacement at Manchester United before short stints with Real Sociedad, Sunderland, and the Irons.
Moyes has been out of work since his first stint as West Ham manager, when he took over for Slaven Bilic on a six-month contract.
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West Ham begins 2020 with a visit from 16th-place Bournemouth on Wednesday (Watch live, 12:30 p.m. ET, on NBC Sports Gold).