As the New Year begins, West Ham is gearing up to host Brighton on Tuesday night, with manager David Moyes providing crucial insights into the squad’s status before their first match in 2024.
Following an impressive victory against London rivals Arsenal, Moyes’ side delivered a solid performance, frustrating the Gunners and securing a memorable 2-0 win.
Brighton has historically posed as a challenging adversary for West Ham. However, earlier this season, West Ham finally shattered this pattern by clinching a crucial victory on the south coast.
Discussing the upcoming fixture, Moyes emphasized, “Brighton have been a hoodoo club for us, but we broke it at the start of the season. They’ve got a really good team and manager, and like us, they’re in the last 16 in Europe and have a strong league position. It’s going to be a very tight game.”
Moyes also provided an update on the squad’s availability, expressing hope that Mohammed Kudus may participate before departing for the AFCON.
“Everyone has injuries and illness… We’ve had it with Aguerd and Zouma, and we lost Paqueta during the game. It’s too early to provide a definitive answer,” explained Moyes. “Hopefully, they have a chance as we’ve got a flurry of games coming up.”
Commenting further on the team’s current situation, Moyes conveyed, “Paqueta had an issue in the warm-up, and we opted to start him. We’re unsure about the severity, but we’re awaiting scan results. Mo is a crucial player, and we’re hopeful that he could be available to face Brighton.”
Additionally, Moyes shed light on his own future, hinting at an imminent agreement to continue managing West Ham.
“I’m really content with the environment I’m working in here. I’ve built a great team of players over the four years, and we’ve achieved success. We’ll see if we can continue the momentum,” Moyes stated. “I’m confident the contract will be sorted in due course. We’ll see how things unfold.”
With Moyes offering a thorough update ahead of the upcoming clash and his own future at the club, the stage is set for an intense and pivotal clash as West Ham commences their 2024 journey against Brighton.
