Nuno’s Iron Grip: Can He Steady the Hammers?
West Ham turned to Nuno Espirito Santo after Graham Potter’s troubled reign
Nuno at West Ham: A New Fire in the East End
Football has its moments of swift and decisive change. At West Ham, those moments came thick and fast at the weekend when Graham Potter was shown the door and, almost before the ink was dry, Nuno Espirito Santo was announced as his replacement. The Hammers, sitting second bottom of the Premier League, needed something, anything, to light a spark. The new man had barely unpacked his bags before taking charge of his first game, a gritty 1-1 draw with Everton.
It was an appointment that caught the eye, not least because Nuno had only just left Nottingham Forest. Eighteen days later, here he was again, back in the Premier League, handed a three-year contract at the London Stadium. The question, of course, is whether he is the right man for West Ham, and whether his style and personality can lift a club that has sunk into a dangerous malaise.
A Career of Highs and Lows
Nuno is no stranger to English football. His Wolves side, promoted from the Championship in 2018, were a breath of fresh air in the top flight. They attacked with pace, defended with organisation, and managed to punch well above their weight. Europe soon followed, and his reputation grew.
His time at Tottenham was less happy. Spurs supporters found his cautious, counter-attacking football a poor fit for a club built on talk of flair and adventure. That short spell remains a blot on his record, but it also perhaps masks what he does best. At Forest, he again produced solid results, guiding them to Europe and an FA Cup semi-final last season. His exit there came not because of footballing failure, but because of a falling out with owner Evangelos Marinakis.
In short, this is a manager who knows how to build a system, create belief, and get results. He has failed once at the very top, but in the middle ground of the Premier League, he has been consistently effective.
What Nuno Brings
Style is everything at West Ham. David Moyes, for all his achievements, was accused of playing dour football. Manuel Pellegrini, Julen Lopetegui and Graham Potter all tried to change things and were found wanting. The owners have now gone back to something more familiar, something pragmatic, and something that might suit the players already at the club.
Nuno’s teams do not dominate the ball. At Forest, they averaged just 41 per cent possession, the third lowest in the league. Instead, they sit deep, frustrate, and break quickly. Direct attacks are his hallmark, playing early balls into the striker and working the flanks at pace. He did this with Chris Wood and Morgan Gibbs-White at Forest. At West Ham, it might be Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta, Crysencio Summerville and Niclas Fullkrug who benefit.
He is tactically flexible. At Wolves, it was often a back five. At Forest, a 4-2-3-1. He adapts to the players at his disposal, shifting roles and systems depending on the opposition. It was his tactical tweak that saw Forest knock Brighton out of the FA Cup last season, crowding the midfield with five and cutting off the central spaces. For a West Ham side that has been leaking goals, particularly from set pieces, his eye for detail and willingness to adjust could prove vital.
A First Taste at Everton
Against Everton, West Ham supporters saw something new. Not a complete transformation, but certainly signs of life. Nuno’s men fell behind to yet another set-piece lapse, but rather than collapse, they rallied. His decision to omit James Ward-Prowse from the squad altogether, ruthless though it appeared, sent a message that standards must rise. Freddie Potts, promoted in his place, came on and impressed. Here was a young midfielder full of energy, eager to make an impact, and cheered by a fanbase hungry for change.
The equaliser, crafted by the lung-busting run and pinpoint cross of El Hadji Malick Diouf and finished by Bowen, summed up what Nuno wants. Pace, precision, and a killer instinct in transition. The defence still wobbled at times, Konstantinos Mavropanos guilty again for the goal, but there was resolve and shape in the second half. Nuno’s team emerged early from the dressing room after half-time, his fingerprints already showing.
It was not a perfect performance. Niclas Fullkrug lumbered through the match like a man short of confidence and sharpness, wasting chances that might have secured all three points. Yet the mood was different. The Hammers played with more energy, more determination, and above all, more belief.
The Reaction
Supporters had long since turned on Potter. His football was insipid, his personality too passive. The mood at the London Stadium had soured to the point of apathy. Nuno’s arrival, by contrast, has lifted spirits. Fans noted the passion on the touchline, the honesty in his interviews, and his refusal to duck difficult questions.
He called Mavropanos’ defending for the Everton goal “unacceptably bad.” That bluntness struck a chord. Too often, Potter had tiptoed around criticism. Nuno is different. He demands accountability. Bowen spoke of being “so impressed” with the new manager’s clarity and authority. Summerville said the players had been told simply to “give us the ball and let us try our magic.” Potts, meanwhile, revealed how he felt trusted after just two days of training under Nuno.
Conor Coady, one of Nuno’s former captains at Wolves, spoke warmly of him in recent days, praising his balance, his steadiness, and his ability to make players better. That counts for plenty in a West Ham dressing room that has endured too many fall-outs and false dawns.
What Can He Achieve?
Let us be realistic. West Ham are in a relegation battle. They are 19th in the table, without a home win since February, and fragile at the back. Nuno’s job, first and foremost, is survival. Stop conceding sloppy goals, build a solid base, and scrap for every point. If he can do that between now and May, then his second and third years might offer the chance to build something more ambitious.
There is talent in this squad. Bowen is a match-winner. Paqueta, though inconsistent, is a gifted playmaker. Summerville has pace to burn. Diouf looks a gem at left-back. Max Kilman, reunited with his old Wolves boss, should thrive. Even youngsters like Potts and Mateus Fernandes can give the midfield energy and legs. The pieces are there. They need shaping, discipline, and belief.
The fixture list will not make it easy. Arsenal away, Brentford at home, Leeds away, Newcastle away, Burnley at home. It is a run that will test Nuno’s methods and the players’ resilience. Yet if Everton was a first step, then West Ham supporters will feel there is at least a path forward.
A Fresh Start
Football at West Ham has often been about dreams and disappointment, hope and frustration. Nuno’s arrival will not suddenly turn them into world-beaters. But what he does bring is clarity, structure, and an iron will to win. His record shows he can lift clubs of this size, building teams that fight for each other and for their supporters.
It will take time. Mistakes will happen. There will be setbacks. But for the first time in a long while, West Ham fans can sense a bit of fire in the belly of their team. After months of drifting, that is no small thing.
Nuno Espirito Santo has walked into a tough job, but he has already shown he is not afraid of it. The Hammers may yet claw their way out of the mess they are in. And if they do, it will be down to a manager who knows that sometimes football is not about pretty patterns or endless possession, but about belief, grit, and moments of magic.
For West Ham, that feels like the right fit.