Former West Ham player emerges as new contender as Nuno Espirito Santo on brink
Nuno Espirito Santo is facing the West Ham axe after his side were humiliated by Wolves on Saturday.
West Ham were hammered 3-0 by Wolves at Molineux, leaving Nuno fighting for his job at the London Stadium.
Lucas Paqueta was missing for West Ham on Saturday afternoon, but it’s unlikely his inclusion would’ve made much difference to the outcome of the match, as Rob Edwards’ side finally recorded their first win of the season.
It’s yet another missed opportunity for West Ham to close the gap on 17th-placed Nottingham Forest, who also lost 3-1 to Aston Villa in the lunchtime kick-off, with the Hammers now only having 18 games left to escape an unthinkable relegation to the Championship.
Michael Carrick in running to replace Nuno Espirito Santo
With Nuno fighting a losing battle to keep his West Ham job, candidates are naturally being touted to succeed him at the London Stadium.
Slaven Bilic has been linked with a sensational return to West Ham in recent days, with the 57-year-old having been out of work since departing Saudi Arabian club Al Fateh FC in the summer of 2024, as the Croatian coach spent just over two years in charge of West Ham between 2015-2017.
However, another name with ties to the Hammers has been mentioned as a potential option that David Sullivan may consider to replace Nuno.
As per a report from talkSPORT on Saturday evening, Michael Carrick is understood to be someone who would be high on West Ham’s shortlist too.
Carrick has been strongly linked with the West Ham job previously whilst he was still in charge at Middlesbrough, and has been out of work since leaving Boro in June 2025.
Carrick graduated from West Ham’s academy in 1999, and went on to play over 150 times for the Hammers between 1999-2004.
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West Ham should steer clear of Michael Carrick
If West Ham do sack Nuno, then getting the decision right regarding his successor is going to be crucial to the trajectory of the club.
Sullivan and his boardroom team will not only be looking for a candidate who could come in and give them a good chance at Premier League survival this season, but also one that should the worst happen and West Ham find themselves in the Championship for 2026-27, has the ability to make their second tier visit a passing one and bring them straight back up.
However, Carrick wouldn’t really tick either of those boxes, as not only has he never managed in the Premier League on a full-time basis, he also failed to win promotion in three attempts during his time with Middlesbrough.
- Carrick finished with a 46 per cent win rate at Middlesbrough
- Boro finished fourth, eighth and 10th in the Championship under him
- His played a slow build-up, possession-dominating brand of football at Middlesbrough
After taking over in October 2022 with Middlesbrough down near the bottom of the Championship, he turned them into a free-flowing side that ended up finishing fourth, before losing to Coventry City in the play-off semi-finals.
However, his two full seasons in charge at the Riverside were a major disappointment, with Boro fans largely critical over his refusal to change from a 4-2-3-1, slow, possession-oriented approach win, lose or draw, with his team’s often being leaky in defence too.
The 44-year-old also came in for major criticism over his in-game management, with the former West Ham academy graduate routinely being reactive and slow with his use of substitutes, rather than proactive and forward-thinking.
So, with no Championship promotion experience under his belt, an ugly exit at Middlesbrough with many fans unhappy with his approach, and with no Premier League managerial experience aside from a caretaker stint at Manchester United, West Ham should be looking elsewhere if they are to soon be conducting a search for a new manager.
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