Nuno Espírito Santo under threat as West Ham slip to eighth after 3-1 home loss
Nuno Espírito Santo is under pressure at West Ham after the club, installed among Championship favourites, dropped to eighth following a 3-1 home defeat by West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. Key figures at the club have grown impatient with the manager’s stewardship after a disappointing start to the season.
West Ham had targeted an immediate return to the Premier League after relegation, but that aim was hit by Saturday’s setback, leaving them in the final play-off place after successive home defeats. The club sit four points behind second-placed Swansea City. While Nuno is expected to be given time to turn results around, sources say patience at the club’s top level is fraying and the manager faced unrest from supporters during the West Brom match.
Sources indicated that David Sullivan, the club’s largest shareholder at the time, wanted to part company with the former Nottingham Forest manager after relegation, while Daniel Kretinsky argued for continuity. Sullivan resigned as a joint-chair and director of West Ham to fight what he described as "false allegations" concerning his personal conduct. In September Kretinsky bought a 46% stake and became West Ham’s biggest shareholder; the agreement saw Sullivan, who is not on the board, increase his holding from 38% to 40%.
Any decision on Nuno’s future will be taken by the board collectively, with Karim Virani, the interim CEO, and Nils Koppen, the director of recruitment, among those who will have a say. The club are unhappy after a run of two wins in six games and their early-season inconsistency has increased scrutiny of the manager’s position.
Nuno was appointed after Graham Potter was sacked in September 2025 and is 52 years old. The article notes that his tactics and summer signings did not convince last season and that problems have persisted since relegation. West Ham sold Crysencio Summerville and Mateus Fernandes after going down but kept Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek, and they set an EFL transfer record when they signed Arne Engels from Celtic for £22m.
Within the squad there is a belief they possess one of the strongest groups in the division, yet Nuno has struggled to settle on a consistent starting eleven. West Ham have kept three clean sheets in 13 games and conceded the first goal on six occasions. Their three forwards signed under Nuno — Joel Piroe, Pablo Felipe and Taty Castellanos — have scored five league goals between them this season, while Bowen is the club’s top scorer on seven.
The team also lack a settled midfield balance: the squad includes two holding midfielders but Soungoutou Magassa and Edson Alvarez are both out of favour. There have been some high points, including 6-0 victories over Wrexham and Lincoln City, the latter match featuring Lincoln reduced to nine men in the first half. Their most notable single performance came in a 1-0 away win at Swansea, which the report says showed they perform better when there is less pressure on them to dominate games.
West Ham visit Cardiff City on Wednesday, and the club have indicated Nuno will face difficult questions if results do not improve before this month’s international break.