Nuno Espírito Santo has finally broken his silence about the condition of West Ham when he took charge — and his remarks leave little room for interpretation. The West Ham boss, speaking after guiding his side to a fully earned 1-1 draw against Manchester United, was pressed on the extensive rebuilding project underway at the club.
He explained that the work ahead is substantial, shaped by the problems that had accumulated before his arrival. West Ham have been thrown into a tense struggle to secure their Premier League status, a race that looks certain to stretch until the closing days of the season.
The dangerous position they find themselves in is tied directly to the disastrous start to the campaign under Graham Potter, whose tenure only deepened the issues that had already been destabilizing the team.
A spiral set in motion before the season even began
The club had already endured turbulence the previous year, with Julen Lopetegui being dismissed during the season and widely regarded as one of the most unsuccessful managers West Ham had employed. Instead of steadying the ship, his successor brought fresh complications.
Potter arrived at the London Stadium sounding confident and repeatedly pointing to what he viewed as the problems left behind by Lopetegui. However, when the new season began, the Englishman no longer had the shield of claiming to have inherited chaos. He had enjoyed a complete pre-season and full control of the transfer window — and yet results sunk even lower.
West Ham’s performances collapsed further at the very moment when improvement was expected, leaving supporters frustrated and the club hierarchy with no alternative but to act.
Potter’s exit and the scale of Nuno’s task
Potter was ultimately removed from his position and is now considered the poorest permanent appointment made by the club in its 130-year history. His short spell left West Ham in deeper trouble than when he arrived, amplifying the challenge facing the new manager.
Nuno’s comments highlight just how much must be rebuilt — from restoring confidence in the squad to reorganizing a team that has been battered by consecutive managerial failures. As the season winds toward its decisive stages, the Portuguese coach remains focused on stabilizing the club and dragging it away from the dangers created long before he stepped foot in the dugout.
