Alan Curbishley has lifted the lid on the circumstances surrounding his West Ham United exit, revealing that the club’s actions behind the scenes effectively forced him out of the job.
The former Hammers boss, who managed the club between 2006 and 2008, said he realised his position had become impossible when he discovered a key player had been sold without his knowledge—despite having a contractual clause guaranteeing him the final say on transfers.
Curbishley explained that after a 4–1 win over Blackburn early in the Premier League season, with West Ham sitting comfortably in the top five, he went upstairs after the match only to be told that one of his first-team regulars had joined Sunderland.
He had been led to believe the player was injured, having missed training in the days prior, and had no idea the club were negotiating a sale.
Speaking to All Out Football, he said:
“We’d just won, we were flying, and I got told one of my players had gone to Sunderland. I didn’t even know. I thought he was injured—he hadn’t trained Thursday or Friday. But he’d gone to speak to another club and I wasn’t told. Other players’ agents were being informed they were up for sale too, and I knew nothing about it. For me, the position was untenable.”
Curbishley later received compensation because the club had breached the terms of his contract.
West Ham’s ongoing issues
The article’s criticism doesn’t stop with the past. It argues that the same problems that plagued the club during Curbishley’s tenure persist today.
The board’s handling of managers and recruitment continues to draw scrutiny. The piece highlights the collapse of momentum after David Moyes’ Europa Conference League triumph, followed by turbulent decisions involving Julen Lopetegui, Graham Potter and now Nuno Espírito Santo attempting to repair the damage.
The warning is stark: unless West Ham start operating with clearer structure and accountability, they risk sliding toward the Championship in the coming months.