Moyes faces sack if West Ham lose Europa Conference League final

West Ham manager David Moyes is facing the axe should the Hammers fail to beat Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final in Prague on Wednesday evening

The Hammers face Fiorentina on Wednesday in their first European final for 47 years as Moyes’ men try and create even more history. A 3-1 aggregate win over AZ Alkmaar was enough to secure West Ham’s passage to Prague and they will now face the Italian side for a place in the Europa League next season.

However, according to The Guardian, West Ham are giving fresh consideration to parting company with Moyes, increasing the pressure on the Scot ahead of the game against Fiorentina. Moyes was facing the sack earlier in the campaign as the Hammers edged towards a relegation battle, but he managed to keep them safe.

As recently as last week, the expectation was that Moyes would stay after leading them to the Conference League final – and there were positive noises from the board about his future. Moyes guided West Ham a sixth-place finish in his first full season in charge, before helping them to seventh in 2021/22.

However, after a below-par 14th place finish, West Ham are having fresh concerns. They haven’t made a final decision on Moyes’ future and potential replacements are being lined-up. Defeat in Prague would not automatically decide Moyes’ face, but it would put a different complexion on the season.

West Ham have considered Brendan Rodgers, Graham Potter, Paulo Fonseca and at least one unidentified manager as those who could replace Moyes. Rodgers and Potter were sacked by Leicester and Chelsea back in April, while Fonseca is currently at Ligue 1 side Lille.

But the Hammers are set to have a tough summer, no matter who the manager is. Declan Rice is almost certainly going to be sold as West Ham demand around £100million for his signature. The midfielder has caught the eye of several European clubs, including many from the Premier League.

It is understood Arsenal are leading the race for Rice after he reportedly rejected the opportunity join Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich. Manchester United, Chelsea and Newcastle are also interested in the 24-year-old, who is ready to go and play Champions League football and compete for trophies.