If there’s one silver lining for Nuno Espirito Santo, it’s that he can’t fall out with West Ham over their transfer strategy — because, quite simply, there isn’t one to begin with. Beyond that small mercy, though, it’s hard to find any evidence that his latest move represents progress after his ill-fated spell at Nottingham Forest.
The numbers speak volumes: statistically, this is the worst start by any permanent West Ham manager after four games. The football has been disjointed, the selections baffling, and the optimism that greeted Nuno’s arrival has evaporated almost instantly.
To summarise the chaos: both full-backs are playing on the wrong sides, Tomas Soucek and Andy Irving are forming a midfield pairing that looks like an accident waiting to happen, and Lucas Paquetá — once the club’s crown jewel — appears to have had enough and is ready to walk.
The whole project carries the uneasy feel of an interim experiment. The line-ups have resembled something out of Lee Carsley’s caretaker spell for England, only Carsley knew his role was temporary. Nuno, on the other hand, is supposed to be rebuilding.
To his credit, he’s still experimenting, searching for his best XI. By the end of the 3-1 defeat to Leeds, he was closer — just 90 minutes too late. Five players have already been tried out of position, and he’s ditched the back-three setup after only a handful of matches. Even Graham Potter, his predecessor, took longer to abandon his tactical ideas.
From Julen Lopetegui to Potter and now Nuno Espirito Santo, West Ham have somehow made managerial failure an art form. The unwavering loyalty that Potter showed to James Ward-Prowse is gone; Nuno has exiled him completely, a risky move that alienates a popular dressing-room voice. Meanwhile, the centre-back pairing of Jean-Clair Todibo and Maximilian Kilman looks as confused as the tactics around them.
For a coach famed for defensive organisation, the numbers are damning: nine goals conceded from set-pieces, three times more than any other Premier League side. The so-called “safe option” has quickly become another liability.
And so, once again, West Ham teeter. They sit 19th, with their only win ironically coming against Forest — managed by Nuno at the time. Relegation is no longer an abstract fear but a visible threat.
There are faint glimmers. Youngsters like Freddie Potts and Mohamadou Kanté are getting minutes, Crysencio Summerville offers sparks of flair, and the substitutes have shown hunger. But all that can’t mask the broader rot: years of poor recruitment, fractured leadership, and a fan base losing patience.
Nuno Espirito Santo has walked into a club that eats optimism for breakfast. Unless he finds a way to stop the bleeding soon, West Ham may discover that in trying to fix Potter’s mess, they’ve simply invented new ways to fall apart.
