West Ham United co-owner David Sullivan has confessed that the club’s appointment of David Moyes as their new manager is ‘a gamble’.
The 54-year-old took the hot seat on Tuesday, just a day after it was announced that Slaven Bilic’s time in East London had come to and end.
Moyes’ reputation has taken a battering in recent years following difficult spells at Manchester United, Real Sociedad and Sunderland, with Sullivan confessing that the Scot is a risky choice to guide the team away from the relegation zone.
“This is a gamble but let’s see where we are at the end of the season. I believe he will keep us up,” the ex-Birmingham City owner told The Sun.
“I have promised him nobody else has been lined up, that we have not signed another manager for next season.
“This is his job and he has to grab it. It is a big chance for him.”
West Ham currently lie 18th in the Premier League table after a disastrous start to the season that has seen them lose six of their 11 matches, winning just two.
With the Hammers in such a perilous position, it is a surprise that they have plumped for Moyes to lead them to safety, particularly given that his Sunderland side performed so abjectly as they were relegated last term.
The Scot kicks off his tenure away at Watford a week on Sunday, whilst his first match at the London Stadium will be under the lights when Leicester City come to town the following Friday.