- West Ham confirmed Nuno Espirito Santo will remain in post for next season
- The Hammers were relegated from the Premier League last Sunday
- Nuno signed a three-year deal with the club in September 2025
Despite the mounting reports of an imminent exit following West Ham United’s Premier League relegation last Sunday, Nuno Espírito Santo will continue in his post as head coach following the club’s announcement on Wednesday morning.
Nuno, 52, had not even completed a year into the three-year contract he signed upon his Hammers arrival as the successor to Graham Potter in September 2025, before noise around his dismissal began to pick up pace after Sunday’s season finale outcome, which saw West Ham relegated to the Championship for the first time since 2011.
However, following the crisis talks held on Monday with the club’s chiefs, including vice-chairs David Sullivan and Daniel Křetínský, the Portuguese will remain with the firm intention of guiding the club out of the second division at the first attempt.
Nuno has prolific chops in the Championship, with his first marks in English football coming after a promotion-winning campaign with Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2018. However, unlike the constructed stability he walked into at the Molineux club, Nuno’s task will need full collaboration from all areas to be successful.
Here are the three areas that Nuno and West Ham must now prioritise.
Upgrade the coaching staff
It became glaringly obvious that Nuno was operating with a sparse backroom staff; whether it was the picture he painted on the touchline or the lack of acknowledgement he showed in his media duties, there was little to no willingness to collaborate with the head coach and his assistants.
Of course, Nuno has come across as a lone wolf across his managerial career, which is understandable given he was a goalkeeper in his understated playing carrer. However, reporting by The Athletic revealed that the head coach had a strained relationship with his in-house drafted coaches, with a dressing-room argument between him and Mark Robson reaching boiling point following West Ham’s 3-0 defeat to Wolves in January.
Paco Jémez’s arrival around that time clearly ignited a spark, with the Spanish coach gaining plaudits from external and internal club sources for his acumen. Jémez’s future is unclear as his contract expires on 30th June. Regardless, the intention should be firmly on attracting Nuno’s former staff members: Rui Pedro Silva (assistant coach), Julio Figueroa (assistant coach) and Antonio Dias (fitness coach).
Silva joined Rob Edwards’ backroom staff at Wolves this season, but given the two clubs will operate in the same division next season, and importantly, his role with Nuno in firing Nottingham Forest to European heights during their time at the club, it should be a top priority that he leads an influx of new coaches.
Keep the leadership group
The downfall of Nuno’s predecessor, Potter, was his bullish intention to rip up the then-leadership group of Michail Antonio, Aaron Cresswell, Vladimir Coufal, Lukasz Fabianski, and Kurt Zouma in 2025. The departures have evidently contributed to the club’s demise, as evidenced by the overall leadership vacuum in the squad.
There are a few players who would be worth circling as the main names for the playing leadership front. Club captain Jarrod Bowen and Tomáš Souček are obvious choices with over 500 appearances between them, and an invaluable care for the club’s prospects. Another would be Konstantinos Mavropanos, who has spectacularly turned around his Hammers career since arriving from Germany in 2023.
The recently voted Hammer of the Year is a demonstrative leader who leads by example. Mavropanos’ performances in West Ham’s run-in displayed a player capable of valuing his team over the individual, and at 28, you would hope the club could entice the Greek international with his stable standing within the organisation and the allure of establishing himself as a notable figure in its attempted revival under a coach who has entrusted him more than anyone in his career.
Integrate the academy
An obvious by-product of relegation for a club with West Ham’s precarious financial situation would be the increased opportunity to develop in the club’s academy. Given the catchment area and its history of graduates, the Hammers’ academy tends to be a tempting option for squad solutions.
Trusting the youth batch has been less frequent in the past 12 months. Firstly, the domestic situation was hardly conducive to the development of young players. Secondly, following the club’s Conference League win in 2023, there has seemingly been an external expectation and an internal desire for lavish spending in the market, which has been pursued naively.
The current crop of young Irons are worth their shot in the second division. Ollie Scarles (20) and Freddie Potts (22) are sporadic first-team players who should only increase in value after relegation. Centre-back Ezra Mayers (19) is highly rated within the youth setup, whilst starlet Lewis Beckford (18) signed his first professional deal at the start of the month.
There will be others who have likely flown under the radar or have had their pathway blocked. Come August, when the games come back, West Ham will be a Championship club. Of course, there will be an explanation that is a temporary tag, but the experience – however long – should serve as a reset for where the club wants to go next.
