Any doubts West Ham are moving into a new era were put to bed this weekend after the club announced four top senior stars will be leaving.
West Ham fans have crucified the club for allowing the squad to become the oldest in the Premier League.
The Hammers have decided to do something about it by releasing Aaron Cresswell, Lukasz Fabianski, Vladimir Coufal and Danny Ings – who have a combined age of 139.
Yet some West Ham supporters are now questioning the wisdom of allowing so many influential leaders to leave at the same time.
The quartet, who have made over 700 West Ham appearances between them, follow other big characters out of the dressing room door in successive summers such as Kurt Zouma, Angelo Ogbonna, Declan Rice and Mark Noble.
Quartet leaving closes door on West Ham’s Moyes era
West Ham’s team spirit, mentality, togetherness, attitude has been questioned there season.
Many observers feel there is a clear lack of character, personality and leadership in the current group – hence the team being 17th in the Premier League.
That’s why so many West Ham fans loved Niclas Fullkrug speaking out with such brutal honesty about all of the above recently.
Another big personality and leader that has left West Ham is Thilo Kehrer.
Not to mention the biggest leader of all over the last five years – David Moyes.
Kehrer never truly established himself in the West Ham starting XI under Moyes after signing from PSG for £10.5m.
But he was a key player in helping the Hammers win their only major trophy of the last 45 years.
Despite things not working out and Kehrer leaving – first on loan to Monaco in January last year, before the move was made permanent in the summer – the German has nothing but good things to say about West Ham and Moyes.
In fact Kehrer has made a Moyes claim that will seriously concern West Ham chief David Sullivan.
The jury is out on Graham Potter as things stand.
After replacing Julen Lopetegui in January, Potter has managed just three wins from 16 games.
West Ham threw their backing behind Potter this week.
That has been further evidenced by the decision to allow four senior players to leave.
In the wake of the Spurs draw, Potter said certain West Ham players will be shipped out for refusing to change.
Kehrer makes Moyes claim that will seriously concern Sullivan
But Potter insists Cresswell, Fabianski, Coufal and Ings are not bad eggs when reacting to the news of their impending departures after a cumulative 25 years of service to West Ham.
It does leave a big hole in the Hammers dressing room, though.
And there is no getting away from the fact that is a major worry given how bad things are already.
Many fans feel the club lost something special when it comes to team spirit since it became clear Moyes would depart.
The decline since the Scot’s departure has been worse than any could imagine.
Only that dreaded dotted line separates West Ham from the relegation zone this season.
The Premier League is expected to be much more competitive next term with Burnley an immovable force defensively and Leeds set to spend big.
If the Hammers regress any further, the consequences could be grave.
Hammers had special and unique brotherhood under Moyes
So Sullivan will be fretting after Kehrer told The Athletic that West Ham have lost something very special Moyes built at the club.
Kehrer has revealed the depth of genuine heartfelt love West Ham’s players had for one another and the manager, even if – like him – they weren’t first choice.
The special brotherhood Moyes built at West Ham is like nothing Kehrer has experienced at any other club.
Sullivan may have some feelings of deep regret too after the centre-back insisted managers like Moyes are few and far between.
And he said debate over Moyes’ style of play is futile because, on the whole, Moyes got results.
“It’s not always like that in football (such togetherness in a dressing room), but those guys are my brothers,” Kehrer said.
“This is the environment Moyes created. He’s a good person and really tries his best to help people. He goes out of his way to make sure things are fine in your personal life. Not every manager is like that.
“Moyes knew how to get results, whether it was (against) Burnley or Manchester City. People can debate whether it’s a nice way of football or not, but look, it’s a results business and he did an amazing job at West Ham. No one can take that away from him.”
Hammers now at crossroads after losing something special
Kehrer said he and other players not in the team loved Moyes even if they weren’t playing as much as they wanted to.
But one Moyes memory sticks in Kehrer’s mind above all others.
“I still have massive respect for him,” Kehrer added in the wide-ranging interview.
“My best memory of the manager is after the Conference League final, he came with the team to celebrate. Tomas Soucek organised the celebrations at this private venue. We left the hotel and got into a minibus. We’re all waiting to leave and we see the manager smiling as he comes on the bus. He said: ‘I’m coming with you guys’.”
There is no doubt West Ham need to move on from the Moyes era.
Moving on Cresswell, Fabianski and co is a big step towards that.
West Ham fans just have to hope Sullivan and co have got things right this time around.
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