Nuno Espírito Santo is the new manager of West Ham

West Ham wasted no time in naming a replacement after parting ways with Graham Potter earlier on Saturday.

The London club confirmed that Portuguese coach Nuno Espírito Santo will take over on a three-year contract, marking his return to Premier League management and offering him another opportunity to prove himself at the highest level of English football. For the Hammers, the decision represents a significant shift in direction after a disappointing start to the season.

The announcement came with a strong message of intent. West Ham, who have been eliminated from the League Cup and sit near the bottom of the Premier League table with just one win and four defeats from their opening matches, are desperate to halt their decline before the situation becomes more dangerous. With the competition fiercer than ever and financial stakes extremely high, the club’s hierarchy acted quickly to bring in a manager with both top-flight experience and a reputation for instilling discipline and organization.

For Nuno, the appointment is both a challenge and an opportunity to rebuild his reputation. The former Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham manager had only recently been dismissed from Nottingham Forest on September 9, ending a brief spell in charge at the City Ground. Despite that setback, his previous work in English football most notably his transformative spell at Wolves, where he guided the club from the Championship to consecutive top-seven Premier League finishes and European football was enough to convince West Ham that he is the right man to steady the ship.

In his first statement as West Ham manager, Nuno expressed both pride and determination. “I am very happy and proud to represent this club. My goal is to work hard to get the best out of the team and to be as competitive as possible. The work has already started and I am looking forward to the challenge ahead,” he said, signalling that he intends to waste no time in addressing the problems that have plagued the team in the opening weeks of the campaign.

The Portuguese coach inherits a squad that has quality but has struggled with consistency. While players like Jarrod Bowen, James Ward-Prowse, and Lucas Paquetá provide technical ability and attacking flair, the team has often looked fragile defensively and short of ideas in tight matches. Nuno’s track record suggests that his first priority will be to restore balance and solidity, building from the back before seeking to unleash the team’s attacking talent.

The timing of his arrival is crucial. West Ham face a demanding run of fixtures over the coming weeks, and Nuno will need to implement his ideas quickly if the club is to avoid slipping further into trouble. His reputation as a coach who can organise teams and get them working collectively could be exactly what the Hammers need in the short term. Longer term, the three-year deal signals that the board sees him as more than a caretaker they are placing their trust in him to lead a rebuild that could return West Ham to stability and possibly even competitiveness in the top half of the table.

The club, in its official statement, underlined that urgency. “A change was necessary to help the team improve its position in the Premier League as quickly as possible,” read the message, reflecting the growing concerns among supporters and directors alike after a string of poor results left confidence in Potter’s project at an all-time low.

For West Ham fans, the appointment of Nuno Espírito Santo brings a mixture of hope and cautious optimism. While his tenure at Tottenham and his short spell at Forest raised questions about his adaptability, his success at Wolves remains a powerful reminder of what he can achieve when given time and backing. The London Stadium will now await his debut in the dugout, with supporters eager to see whether his disciplined and pragmatic approach can spark a turnaround in fortunes.