Nuno Espírito Santo’s time at West Ham United looks like it could be coming to an abrupt end after the club’s relegation from the Premier League.
According to Matt Lawton of The Times, West Ham held a board meeting on Monday morning, May 25, to discuss Nuno’s future following their drop into the Championship.
The Portuguese coach was called into talks with David Sullivan and other senior figures at the club, with sources suggesting his departure is now likely.
It is a brutal situation for West Ham, especially because their relegation came despite a 3-0 win over Leeds United on the final day.
The Hammers did their job, but Tottenham’s result against Everton meant West Ham still finished 18th and dropped out of the Premier League after 14 straight years in the top flight.
Nuno joined West Ham United last year
They ended the season on 39 points, which is a painful total to go down with because, in many other seasons, that would have been enough to survive.
Nuno only took over in September after replacing Graham Potter, so this was never going to be an easy rescue job.
West Ham were already in trouble when he arrived, and while he did improve things in certain spells, he ultimately could not pull them clear of the bottom three. That is the reality that now hangs over him.
The biggest factor in the board’s thinking appears to be his contract.
Reports claim there is a clause that allows both West Ham and Nuno to part ways without compensation following relegation.
That makes a change much easier from the club’s point of view, especially when they are about to face the financial hit of Championship football.
Hammers need major changes at the club
There is also the feeling that the Hammers need a proper reset.
The Guardian reported that Nuno’s methods and selections were not universally popular with players, while possible replacements such as Scott Parker and Gary O’Neil have already been mentioned.
That tells you this is not just about one bad result or one disappointing final day.
The Hammers are looking at the bigger picture and asking whether Nuno is the right person to rebuild the team, handle player exits and lead a promotion push from the Championship.
Nuno deserves some blame because he was hired to keep West Ham up and failed. But he also inherited a messy situation, and the fact West Ham went down with 39 points shows this was not a completely hopeless team under him.
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