West Ham told to sign off on ‘mad’ new manager to replace Nuno – ‘The fans will love it’
Nuno Espirito Santo is skating on thin ice as West Ham head coach.
West Ham lost 2-1 to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night, leaving them seven points adrift of safety in the Premier League.
Forest were awarded a late controversial penalty after Alphonse Areola was deemed to have fouled Morgan Gibbs-White inside the box to hand Sean Dyche’s side all three points at the London Stadium.
Now winless since 8 November, many West Ham fans are calling for Nuno to be sacked.
However, it appears that David Sullivan will stick by Nuno for the time being, as the West Ham hierarchy has already begun to back the 51-year-old in the transfer market this month.
Darragh MacAnthony reveals possible Nuno replacement
Naturally, when a manager is under huge pressure to keep their job as Nuno is, talk begins to build over who may be the successor.
Should Nuno be axed from his role, it would be fascinating to see how strong the market would be among coaches for the West Ham job, as, despite the fact that it is a huge club with a massive fanbase, their current situation may prove off-putting for some.
However, speaking on Sky Sports News on Wednesday, Peterborough owner Darragh MacAnthony has revealed who he would back to take the reins, and it’s sure to divide opinion among Hammers fans.
“I’m going to throw this out there, it’s a mad one, but if you do go down, go out and get a Russell Martin in there,” said MacAnthony.
“He’s won promotion from the Championship with Southampton, and his style of football will engage, and the fans will love it at the London Stadium because he will play great football and get bums on seats.
“That’s the kind of thing that needs to happen.”
- Read more: Alan Pardew says Alphonse Areola problem must be addressed ‘very quickly’ at West Ham – ‘Trouble’
Russell Martin appointment may not equal instant Premier League return for West Ham
Martin is back on the market after a disastrous spell at Rangers, having been appointed in June 2025 and only lasting until the beginning of October.
He finished with a 29 per cent win rate at Ibrox, and will now be regarded as one of the Gers’ worst managerial decisions in their modern history.
However, he does have significant Championship experience, and in 2023-24, he took Southampton straight back to the Premier League via the play-offs, after finishing fourth in the table.
But, his possession-dominating 4-3-3 approach was complex, and required every player to be confident and quality on the ball, as evidenced by the fact they blew their Championship rivals away for average possession figures that term, recording an average of 66 per cent – as per FotMob.
- Martin’s 2023-24 Southampton team finished third in goals per game average (1.9)
- They did, however, concede 63 goals that season, with 22nd-placed and relegated Birmingham shipping 65
- Adam Armstrong scored 21 goals and provided 13 assists for Saints that season
Therefore, it may require him several transfer windows to piece together a team that can replicate that system’s success, but with the pressure and expectation of a swift return to the top flight that would be on him at the London Stadium, he may not be given the luxury of time.
West Ham will want a manager who can take them straight back up in one season, and whilst Martin indeed did that with Southampton, the turnover of players and the requirements his approach needs from his players to be a success, possibly won’t be able to be achieved overnight with the Irons.
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