Nuno Espirito Santo will remain in charge of West Ham despite the club’s relegation from the Premier League, with discussions between the head coach and the management continuing into the week.
Key takeaways
- Nuno Espirito Santo is set to continue as West Ham’s manager after their drop into the Championship.
- Talks between Nuno and the club’s hierarchy were ongoing since Monday regarding his next steps.
- West Ham and the Portuguese coach had the ability to part ways without a fee after relegation.
- The club cited signs of improvement in recent months as a reason for keeping him in the role.
- Nuno’s second spell at the helm included 39 points collected, highlighted by a final-day win over Leeds.
Contract position and club’s decision
Nuno is continuing as West Ham manager after a round of meetings early in the week with the club’s leadership. The decision comes after the coach and the hierarchy had been discussing his future since Monday.
When Nuno arrived in September to replace Graham Potter, he agreed to a three-year contract. Under the terms of that arrangement, both West Ham and the Portuguese coach retained a clause allowing either side to end the relationship without compensation in the event of relegation.
In a club statement, West Ham said it “held meetings” with Nuno early this week and confirmed he has shown his intention to stay, adding that the coach has to him.
The statement continued by saying Nuno made it clear he is “highly motivated” by the task of bringing West Ham back to the top tier at the first attempt. The club described promotion as the “unquestionable goal” for next season.
West Ham also pointed to Nuno’s experience in the Championship, noting that one previous season in the division proved highly successful when he won the title with Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2018 by reaching 99 points.
While acknowledging that the result on Sunday was “painful,” the board said it believes there have been wider indications of development and progress in recent months. The club therefore wants Nuno to keep building on that momentum.
Season context under Nuno
During his time in charge at the London Stadium, Nuno accumulated 39 points, including a victory over Leeds on the final day of the season. Even with that tally, West Ham were relegated to the Championship, finishing with the highest points total recorded for a team sent down in the past 15 years.
Nuno took over from Potter, whose early-season spell included a difficult run in which he lost five of his opening six matches.
In his 37 league matches with West Ham, Nuno won 12 times. He had previously been dismissed by Nottingham Forest only weeks before starting his new role in east London.
