The final season of David Moyes’s West Ham reign brought another deep run in Europe and a solid top-half finish in the Premier League, but a post-Christmas decline means the manager’s exit this summer feels best for all parties.
The Hammers reached the midway stage of the season with their highest ever Premier League points tally but won just four of their last 19 games to slip out of the European places, and fell to Bayer Leverkusen in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
Here, Malik Ouzia assesses their 2023-24 season…
The season in one word
Slide.
Star of the show
Jarrod Bowen. Converted to centre-forward for part of the campaign, the talisman scored 16 Premier League goals to equal Paulo Di Canio’s club record.
Biggest let down
Kalvin Phillips. The midfielder’s January signing from Manchester City looked a coup at the time but it is difficult to recall a worse loan spell.
Most improved player
Not a hotly-contested category but Emerson has gone from struggling to nail down a shirt in his first season to among the first names on the teamsheet in his second. A better player now than the one that left Chelsea.
Game to remember
West Ham 3-0 Wolves. Away wins at Arsenal and Tottenham were Moyesball at its best but the win over Wolves offered a glimpse of something more, with Mohammed Kudus, Lucas Paqueta and Bowen all sensational in a complete attacking performance.
Game to forget
Newcastle 4-3 West Ham. The Irons conceded five at Fulham, Crystal Palace and Chelsea, and six at home to Arsenal, but blowing a 3-1 lead in the final 13 minutes at St. James’s Park felt such a pivotal moment in the race for Europe.
Rising star
Thin gruel among an ageing squad but George Earthy’s late-season arc from worrying injury on league debut to first senior goal against Luton marks him out as one to look forward to.
Manager verdict
Continued to be criticised over perceived caution but real problem was his failure to fix a porous defence. Still, departs as the club’s most successful Premier League-era coach.
Fans’ mood
Inevitable excitement at the prospect of a new era but also a sense of trepidation, given the work to be done to refresh an ageing squad. Appointment of Julen Lopetegui has underwhelmed some.
