Will Magpies of Hammers be next for David Moyes?
David Moyes spent years carving out a reputation as one of the top bosses in the business only to see it smashed to pieces over a 348-day period at Old
Trafford.
The Scotsman might be battered from his bruising experience in the Manchester United hot-seat, but he most certainly isn’t broken.
Now his mission is to repair the damage done to his CV by reminding everyone of why he landed the post in the first place.
The big question is where will he choose to begin that quest? Certainly, he won’t be short of options.
Lucrative offers, which would have banked him more than he was earning at United, have already been turned down.
Money will take a back seat to opportunity. Moyes knows he must choose wisely.
It has to be somewhere which can facilitate his ambitions to return to the top.
Moyes was linked with the Celtic post in the wake of Neil Lennon’s departure. Had he wanted the job, it would have been his.
He does harbour ambitions to manage the Parkhead club at some stage in his career, but doesn’t feel now is the right time.
The current state of Scottish football, and the fact success and failure can be defined simply by Champions League qualifying clashes, means Celtic isn’t the right fit right now.
So the chances are that will see Moyes sticking to what he knows best by taking up a post in the English Premier League.
As things stand, the two unoccupied jobs are Southampton and West Brom. Neither offer an obvious opportunity to make drastic and notable improvements.
Depending on how they start next season, there is every chance Newcastle United and West Ham could soon become available.
The Toon Army were at loggerheads with their gaffer for much of the season and they have little time for owner Mike Ashley, a staunch defender of his boss.
Sam Allardyce has similar unpopularity at Upton Park but survived an end-of-season crisis meeting with the Hammers’ powerbrokers.
Allardyce kept the club in the Premier League but they want him playing a more-attractive brand of football.
If that doesn’t happen quickly in the new campaign, change will come.
Those positions would afford Moyes the chance to make a serious impact and thus restore his reputation.
But whenever and wherever he ends up, Moyes knows he has to get it right.
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