David Moyes is preparing his Everton side to face his former club, West Ham United, on Monday night. However, the Everton manager is taking no comfort from the current turmoil at West Ham, who recently parted ways with their manager, Graham Potter.
Moyes's Everton is currently in 10th place in the Premier League after five games, having secured two wins and a draw. In contrast, West Ham has struggled, losing five of their first six games across all competitions. This poor run of form led to Potter's departure after only a few months in charge. Nuno Espirito Santo has been appointed as the new West Ham manager and faces a challenging opening task against Everton.
Despite West Ham's struggles, Moyes remains optimistic about their chances of improvement under Santo. "Graham Potter's an excellent manager," Moyes said. "His record at Brighton, and getting the Chelsea job. You don't get those jobs without a certain quality of management. He's probably finding it quite difficult at the moment, but overall, he's an excellent manager and I have no doubt he'll be a success".
Moyes also spoke fondly of his time at West Ham, saying, "It's great to see them all. I had a big relationship with so many of the players and staff, and everybody at the club. It was good. We had some great times together. They were really good people to work for".
Looking ahead to the game, Moyes provided a team news update. Jarrad Branthwaite and Merlin Rohl remain unavailable for selection due to injury. "He'll not be available for Monday, neither is Merlin (Rohl). Both of them are out," Moyes confirmed. He added that Branthwaite is not yet back in full training but is expected to return shortly.
West Ham will be without Tomáš Souček, who is serving a suspension after being sent off against Tottenham Hotspur. Aaron Wan-Bissaka remains sidelined with a stomach issue.
Everton will be looking to continue their fine start at their new Hill Dickinson Stadium. "We're really pleased with the way we've started the season," Moyes said. "We've done a lot of good things, so we hope we can continue it. We've had good results at the new stadium too, so let's hope we can keep that going". Everton has not conceded a Premier League home goal this season. They could join Swansea City and Tottenham Hotspur as the only teams to keep three clean sheets in their first three Premier League home games at a new stadium.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, a new signing for Everton, has made a significant impact, injecting quality and energy into the team. His stamina and work rate will test West Ham's midfield. Dewsbury-Hall also poses a threat from set-pieces, with West Ham having conceded a league-high percentage of goals from corners.
Moyes is aiming for his team to maintain their positive momentum. "We don't need to look back too far," he stated. "We move on". He acknowledged the raised expectations surrounding the team but emphasized that the job is to continue raising those expectations.
