David Moyes
There are reports that West Ham have extended Michail Antonio’s contract, what is the latest on that?
We have actually extended one or two contracts behind the scenes and yes that is right, we did Michail’s contract about two months ago but we have also done another couple of players. We are going about our business quietly and doing some things behind the scenes and trying to do things correctly. So yes that is right.
Are you able to confirm how long Antonio’s contract is for?
Well, we’ve got a few more players who have signed contracts as well, so we have a few and the club will announce it at the right time.
Can you give us an indication of who the other players are?
No, because as I said we are changing and trying not to do our business is public. We are trying to do it in the correct fashion if we can and we’re getting maybe one or two players at different times and renewing their contracts. We are pleased to have Michy done.
What’s the latest team news ahead of Sunday?
Like everybody else we have a few covid [cases] at the moment we have done very well at present with it but I’m sure like everybody else there are one or two cases around. Other than that we look forward to the game and are trying to get everybody ready.
Will you use this as a chance to rotate players and give others a chance bearing in mind you play Leeds twice in a week?
I might do, I am not really sure yet exactly the way we want to go because the Premier League have put the game [against Norwich] on Wednesday night and that has changed the whole dynamic of this FA Cup tie which is pretty disappointing.
What do you think it’s going to take to beat Leeds and go through to the fourth round of the FA Cup?
You need to play really well against Leeds. Leeds have got so many good things about them, their manager has done a good job over time. Every game against Leeds as everyone is aware of is full tilt, it is one end to the other and we need to try and make sure that when we get to their end we score more goals than they do. It is always a hard game against Leeds.
What is disappointing about the rearranged game from your point of view?
Just from our point of view, we have only lost one game [to covid postpoenemtns] and it was not from our side so we felt as if it could have been a different day. But no problem we’ve got it next Wednesday.
It looks as if all the FA Cup games are going to go ahead this weekend, which is great. But there obviously are still cancellations in the league left right and centre. Do you think some teams are abusing or bending the rules and maybe waiting until they can make some signings or waiting until players come back from the Africa Cup of Nations or whatever reason it might be?
I have no idea what any other clubs are doing. I just know that we have our players ready. We’ve been prepared to play in every game so far this season. Thankfully at this moment in time, it could change and we’ve been pretty good with COVID. We have some COVID in the camp whether that be players or staff. But overall we are trying to play the games and when we are asked to we will do so.
Ralph Hasenhuttl suggested this morning that any clubs who signed players this month that obviously wouldn’t have been available in December or November. Therefore they should be ineligible for the rearranged fixture as well. Is that something you would go along with?
I totally agree with that.
Do you think some clubs maybe are trying to get games postponed, sign a few players and then they’ll be stronger for the rearranged games?
No, not necessarily. Quite often you sign players and it doesn’t make you stronger, there is no guarantee that bringing in players will make you better. But what I will say is that I think that is a good point. I think that to keep things as correct as it could be, teams may use the window to strengthen, maybe clubs who missed three or four games might bring a bigger squad in to cover for the difficulty of the fixtures so that would not be correct because at the moment we all have to deal with the same things. We have injuries like everybody else and we have to deal with that.
Jesse Lingard is in the same position as he was 12 months ago now where he’s obviously out of favour at Manchester United. He’s a hero to West Ham fans and we know how well it went last year. Is that a deal you’d be interested in doing if it presented itself?
I won’t talk about players at other clubs because it is wrong to do so. Jesse is a Manchester United player and it is not for me to talk about him. He did a brilliant job for us last year and we really appreciated everything he did. He played great in the games and helped us qualify for Europe last year so we are thankful for what Jesse did.
It was confirmed this week that Ed Woodward will be leaving Old Trafford at the end of the season. A lot of people feel as if you weren’t treated particularly well at Manchester United. Do you have any words for him as he departs the club?
I don’t hold any grudges. I just look back on a great time at Man United, I learned so much in the short period of ten months I was there, that was the disappointing thing for me but overall I look back at the difficulty Manchester United have had in my time and other very good manager’s time. It was not easy and Ed was new to the job as well so we were both relatively new to the position. I don’t have any problems, it is a great football club, great traditions and I wish them well.
How do you approach the first game? Do you approach it with optimism? Do you think you can win this trophy this year?
The first game you play you go in and hope you get through. I think the more you get through it becomes more realistic, that is an obvious thing to say but I think we’ve been given a tough first-round draw. But then saying that in the Carabao Cup we had Man United and Manchester City before we had Tottenham so we have had a real tough draw in the cups but we have done well in those games and I am hoping we can do well against Leeds United.
Mark Noble has spoken about how much it would mean to him to finish his career with an FA Cup.
Well, it would make me smile and happy as well if we could do it. At this point, everybody is probably asking all the managers the same questions like ‘Do you want to win the FA Cup?’ Of course, we want to win the FA Cup, I want to do everything I can to do that. But overall, all the other managers are answering the same as well. The competition starts now, we’ve been given a really difficult draw in the first game and the good thing is we are at home, that is a benefit now there are no replays. Hopefully, we can use London Stadium and home support to help get us over the line.
No replays in this round or the fourth round. How do you feel about that? And as you say, it gives you home advantage.
Well, I think it’s a good thing that there are no replays because with the fixture list that we have got at the moment replays would make things so difficult for many clubs. I am glad there are no replays, we are not in the Carabao Cup semi-final but I am also not sure they should be two-legged semi-finals as it adds on another fixture. There is an opportunity to have that played at a neutral venue and over one game but that is just my opinion.
You’ve spoken in the past about your admiration for Bielsa. Can you explain what you like about him as a manager?
I’ve admired him for so long. I used to watch his teams when he was at Atletic Bilbao and I watched them when they beat Manchester United at Old Trafford. I based one of my team’s performances on what I saw. I just think he’s unique. There are a lot of things he does which are different, and I think the Premier League needs different styles, different managers, different systems, and I think he brings that and an excitement with the way they play. Leeds have been a really good watch over the last two or three years.
