Nuno Espirito Santo to stay as West Ham head coach after relegation crisis meeting
The Portuguese boss was expected to depart following the club's relegation but after crisis meetings he will stay
Nuno Espirito Santo will remain with West Ham as they look to bounce straight back to the Premier League.
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The Portuguese boss took over from Graham Potter in September with the club already in the midst of a relegation battle.
The Hammers enjoyed a significant upturn in form between January and April, taking 22 points from 13 matches to pull themselves out of the relegation zone, having seemingly been buried after losing to Nottingham Forest on January 6.
Meetings were held on Monday, a day after the 3-0 win over Leeds that was not enough to prevent dropping into the Championship, to determine Nuno’s future, though he had widely been expected to depart.
The Hammers enjoyed a significant upturn in form between January and April, taking 22 points from 13 matches to pull themselves out of the relegation zone, having seemingly been buried after losing to Nottingham Forest on January 6.
However, three defeats in their final four allowed Tottenham to stay up at their expense.
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In a statement, the club said: “Although relegation is not what any of us wanted, we now have to look forward.
“The Board must now review every aspect of the Club’s operation to ensure that when we return to the Premier League – hopefully in August 2027 – we are a better West Ham United in every way, on and off the pitch.
“The football operation always has to be our first priority and the planning for next season started as soon as the final whistle sounded on Sunday.
“We held meetings with Head Coach Nuno Espírito Santo early this week and are pleased to confirm that he has expressed his continued commitment to the Club – as we have to him.
“Nuno made it very clear that he is highly motivated for the challenge of guiding West Ham United back to the top flight at the first time of asking. That must be the unquestionable goal for next season.
“While the ultimate outcome on Sunday was a painful one, the Board of Directors believe that there have been broader signs of improvement and progress in recent months, and we want Nuno to continue developing that progress.”