David Moyes left West Ham United last summer after spending a brief time at the club.
David Moyes has admitted that he tried to sign Belgium international Axel Witsel during his time at West Ham, with the midfielder now playing for Borussia Dortmund.
Former Everton boss Moyes replaced Slaven Bilic at the London Stadium midway through the 2017/18 Premier League season and helped them avoid relegation.
In the summer, the Scot ended up leaving his post at the London Stadium, with the club opting to appoint former Premier League winning manager Manuel Pellegrini as their new boss.
Nonetheless, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live (05/03/2019 at 7:40 pm), Moyes shared that he tried to sign Witsel when he was playing in China as he revealed what stopped the deal from taking place.
“Witsel is a tremendous player and someone who I was interested in at West Ham last year when he was in China,” Moyes told BBC Radio 5 Live. “Obviously, his money was too big and he must be getting paid a lot at Dortmund, that’s all I can say.”
If Witsel had signed then the 30-year-old would have been a great addition to the Hammers team and it would have perhaps stalled the progress of youngster Declan Rice.
Moyes played him at centre-back during the last campaign, but he has been utilised in the number six role under Pellegrini and produced performances which could result in him becoming the club’s Player of the Year.
Anyhow, over the summer, the Hammers ended up signing a number of midfield players, including Jack Wilshere after his departure from Arsenal and former Aston Villa player Carlos Sanchez – but neither have hardly featured this term because of injury.
Instead, the likes of Rice and Noble have occupied those defensive-minded roles, while Manuel Lanzini recently returned from injury to take up the more advanced position in the middle of the park.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
