West Ham United enter Friday night’s clash with Wrexham with genuine momentum, but Thursday has offered another reminder that there is plenty happening around the club.
Nuno Espírito Santo’s side have won three consecutive Championship matches after beating Wolves, Derby County and Bolton Wanderers.
That run has transformed the early league picture, while attention is now turning towards whether West Ham can make it four victories in a row at London Stadium.
Here are the biggest West Ham talking points heading into Friday.
Nuno is demanding more despite West Ham winning run
Three consecutive victories could easily have encouraged Nuno to focus solely on results.
Instead, the West Ham boss has spent the build-up to Wrexham identifying where his side still need to improve.
Nuno admitted on Thursday that West Ham cannot rely on scoring three goals every week and wants his team to return to the defensive standards shown against Derby.
ReadWestHam covered the manager’s warning in full after he identified the problem West Ham must solve before facing Wrexham.
That feels significant.
West Ham have scored ten goals during their last three Championship victories, but Bolton demonstrated how quickly games can become difficult when control disappears.
The Hammers trailed 2-1 during the first half on Tuesday before eventually recovering to win 3-2.
Nuno has also warned that the Championship is now more demanding than during his successful spell with Wolves.
His comments underline the scale of West Ham’s task despite their recent improvement.
Wrexham cannot be treated as another routine home game
Friday provides an immediate test of those standards.
West Ham are attempting to make it four consecutive Championship wins, but Wrexham arrive with improving form of their own.
Phil Parkinson’s side are unbeaten in their last three league matches and have taken seven points during that sequence.
ReadWestHam has already detailed why former Hammer Elliot Lee believes Wrexham could possess an important advantage at London Stadium.
Heavy rotation would therefore carry risk.
Our West Ham predicted XI against Wrexham expects Joel Piroe, Manor Solomon and Joël Veltman to come back into the starting side following Tuesday’s changes at Bolton.
Taty Castellanos remains the main fitness uncertainty.
The striker missed the Bolton victory after suffering a hamstring issue against Derby, leaving Nuno with another decision in attack.
Supporters can keep track of the full schedule through ReadWestHam’s permanently updated West Ham fixtures and results page.
West Ham depth is becoming a genuine strength
One of the clearest differences between the opening weeks and now is the number of genuine options available to Nuno.
Arne Engels has quickly established himself in midfield, while Divine Mukasa and Edvin Austbø have added energy and creativity.
Pablo Felipe has also made his case for further involvement.
ReadWestHam’s latest analysis showed why Nuno has continued turning to Pablo during West Ham’s recent run.
That competition should become increasingly important during a demanding period containing Wrexham, Fulham and Millwall.
The complete picture can be followed through our updated West Ham first-team squad guide, which tracks the players currently available to Nuno.
The challenge now is finding the right balance between rotation and continuity.
Alvarez situation adds another issue away from the pitch
Thursday also brought a major development involving Edson Alvarez.
The Mexican midfielder has strongly denied serious allegations made about him in Mexico and warned that legal action could follow against anyone spreading false claims.
The allegations remain unproven.
Alvarez’s response comes at a time when his football future at West Ham is already uncertain, with the midfielder currently outside Nuno’s established starting group.
ReadWestHam has previously reported that Alvarez and Soungoutou Magassa are expected to remain until at least January.
It is an unwanted off-field distraction heading into another important Championship fixture.
For Nuno, however, Friday’s priority remains simple.
West Ham have built momentum.
Beating Wrexham would show they are beginning to turn that momentum into something more substantial.
