Hammers secured a sixth-place finish with a 3-0 win over Southampton; Moyes said: "I think there are signs West Ham are beginning to pull together"
Monday 24 May 2021 06:43, UK
David Moyes hailed West Ham's sixth-place finish as a "huge achievement" and said the club have "no intention" of selling Declan Rice this summer.
The Hammers clinched a place in the Europa League with a 3-0 victory over Southampton. Two goals from Pablo Fornals and a third from Declan Rice made it a club record 19th Premier League win of the season for the Hammers, and a first top-six finish this century.
"It's a huge achievement from where we came from, to jump this far is absolutely huge," Moyes said.
"I think there's signs West Ham are beginning to pull together. We walked around the pitch last season having just stayed up and people said that was a success.
"I hope we enjoyed what we felt today, being in a big game that meant something. It's been a tough year in football but overall it's been a good year for us.
"I think the players have been remarkable, we have grown as a team and got better and we are in a really good place at the moment. We have to take it on again and keep up the standards we have set. If I have the exact same group of players next season I think we can continue to be successful. I am hoping we can add similar characters to the squad next season."
One of the main reasons behind West Ham's surge up the Premier League this season has been the performances of Rice in their midfield.
Since joining in 2014, Rice has developed from a promising youth player to West Ham skipper and has topped the club's stats for most passes, tackles and interceptions this season per 90 minutes.
The 22-year-old, who played in Chelsea's academy for seven years before being released aged 14, has a long-term contract at West Ham which runs out in 2024 - and the club have the option of extending it by another year.
The England international has been linked with Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United ahead of the summer transfer window.
However, Moyes reiterated the club's stance that Rice isn't for sale.
"I don't think [co-owners] David Sullivan, David Gold or myself have got any intention of losing Declan Rice," he said.
"We've just qualified for Europe, it's a brilliant achievement. Declan has been a big part of that and we want him to be a big part of what we do next year as well."
