Gary Lineker passionately defends Nuno Espirito Santo despite West Ham collapse
West Ham’s embarrassment in the 2025/26 Premier League campaign reached new lows on Saturday following a 3-0 defeat to Wolves.
Heading into the game, many expected the visitors to secure victory at Molineux, but how they collapsed was concerning, and it has left Nuno Espirito Santo on the brink of the sack at West Ham.
According to reports, Nuno has one game to save his job at West Ham, and that is their home showdown against his former club Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night.
In a relegation six-pointer that the Irons must win to close the gap to just one point, the pressure has never been more amplified.
Gary Lineker defends Nuno Espirito Santo
When West Ham appointed Nuno as manager in September after sacking Graham Potter, there were expectations from some that the Hammers would climb towards mid-table.
Sadly, it couldn’t have gone any worse for Nuno, who is West Ham’s worst permanent manager in Premier League history.
| Managers since David Moyes | Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals for/against |
| Julen Lopetegui | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 26/44 |
| Graham Potter | 25 | 6 | 5 | 14 | 30/41 |
| Nuno Espirito Santo | 15 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 16/28 |
The former Wolves boss – like those who came before him – has struggled to succeed at a football club where the recruitment is scattergun and the atmosphere is toxic.
That is why Gary Lineker has defended Nuno on the Rest Is Football podcast by stating no manager could make a ‘difference’ to their situation, only maybe someone special like Pep Guardiola.
“Yeah, let’s talk about West Ham. I mean, I was thinking actually earlier today, I mean, looking at a lot of teams with this managerial merry-go-round that we get, and different managers end up at different clubs. I don’t think it hardly ever makes any difference,” Lineker said.
“I think it generally comes down to the players you’ve got. I think most coaches pretty much know what they’re doing. Obviously, if you get someone who’s utterly brilliant, like a Pep Guardiola.
“But even these people need a lot of time and stuff. But if you go into a club without special talent, it’s difficult.”
West Ham are sleepwalking into the Championship
West Ham look nailed on to be relegated, regardless of whether Nuno remains in charge or not, and it will take something incredible to rescue them.
Truthfully, decision-making at the top is the key reason why they’re struggling at the bottom, mostly caused by awful recruitment.
That has been amplified recently, with West Ham completing the signing of Pablo from Gil Vicente, while Taty Castellanos is closing in on a move to the London Stadium.
Nuno presumably selected those two players, and yet he could find himself sacked within the next couple of days.
Unfortunately, that scenario just perfectly highlights why the Irons are in a perilous position and why relegation looks inevitable.
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