Leeds will absolutely love what David Moyes is planning at West Ham but Everton will be furious if the rumours are true.
West Ham all but officially secured Premier League safety with a 1-0 win over Manchester United just under two weeks ago.
But for relegation rivals Leeds United and Everton the fight could go down to the final game of the season.
Either way, West Ham – who play Leeds and Leicester in their final matches of the campaign – will have a big say on who drops.
Much is made about protecting the ‘integrity’ of the competition when we reach this stage of the season.
And that’s where Leeds and Everton may have very conflicting views of what West Ham might be about to do during the final two weeks of the campaign.
With a European semi-final second leg on Thursday night, David Moyes was always going to make changes for West Ham’s game at Brentford last Sunday.
Hammers have a big say in fate of Leeds, Everton and Foxes
He duly made NINE and the Hammers were comfortably beaten 2-0.
That result did little to impact anyone else given Brentford are comfortable in midtable.
But the next two weeks will be very different indeed – and it could be Leeds and Everton directly affected.
Leeds secured what was – on paper at least – a good result in drawing 2-2 with Newcastle on Saturday.
After Leicester’s 3-0 defeat to Liverpool it is now two from four out of of Forest, Everton, Leicester and Leeds to follow Southampton into the Championship.
And Leeds will absolutely love what Moyes is planning at West Ham but Everton will be furious if rumours are true.
West Ham have a 2-1 lead going into their Europa Conference League second leg against AZ on Thursday night.
Leeds will absolutely love what David Moyes is planning at West Ham but Everton will be furious if rumours are true
And should the Hammers make the final in Prague they will face either Basel or Fiorentina for the chance to win a first major trophy for 43 years and qualify for next season’s Europa League.
If West Ham make it to the final Moyes is planning to make wholesale changes again when the Hammers welcome Leeds to the London Stadium on Sunday. And Everton will understandably be unhappy at that prospect.
Captain Declan Rice may play some part in what is likely to be his last ever West Ham home game.
But Moyes has proved against Man City and Brentford that he will rest key players if it is in the interests of West Ham.
Word in West Ham circles is that the fringe players who barely laid a glove on Brentford last weekend will get more minutes as key Hammers stars are protected for the final.
And that might also be the case when West Ham play Leicester on the final day – although Everton and Leeds will be hoping a stronger Hammers side takes the field for that game with 10 days between the last match and the Conference League final on June 7th.
Hammers European hopes add subplot to relegation battle
It certainly adds a subplot to the relegation battle.
When Sam Allardyce was appointed as Leeds boss recently he had plenty to say for himself. That included ear-marking West Ham as the “easiest” game Leeds had left to play.
And he may be proved right on Sunday if Moyes does rest his star players.
The pressure will be on Leeds, though.
Because if Everton win at ‘on the beach’ Wolves and Forest pick up a point at home against a crestfallen Arsenal on Saturday, Leeds will be relegated if they lose to West Ham the next day.
A penny for the thoughts of Allardyce and Toffees boss Sean Dyche.
But it all hinges on West Ham’s big game on Thursday night when the Hammers will undoubtedly be cheered on by Leeds fans, players and their old boss.
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