What former Wolves captain Conor Coady said Nuno Espirito Santo will excite fans
Nuno Espirito Santo has instantly become a popular man at West Ham after their 1-1 draw with Everton on Monday.
Max Kilman heaped praise on Nuno when he was in charge of Wolves, and the defender improved in the Portuguese manager’s first game in the dugout.
Kilman wasn’t the only favourite at the back for Wolves, with Nuno’s former captain, Conor Coady, a regular during their successful period together between 2017 and 2021.
In fact, West Ham had advances for Coady shut down just a year after the 51-year-old’s departure, and the defender has been full of praise for his former boss.
Conor Coady praises ‘outstanding’ Nuno Espirito Santo
Nuno replaced Graham Potter on Saturday morning, and he instantly got to work and took training ahead of the game against the Toffees.
He wasn’t afraid to make changes for the clash, with Soungoutou Magassa replacing James Ward-Prowse, who didn’t even travel with the squad.
Attention now turns to West Ham’s game against Arsenal at the weekend, with Nuno needing to turn the tide of their defending from corners.
However, if Coady’s past comments are anything to go by, the Hammers will go into the game against the Gunners knowing what they need to do.
Following Wolves’ impressive 2019-20 campaign, where they finished eighth, captain Coady heaped praise on Nuno.
“He’s an outstanding manager, how he makes you feel and how much he improves you as a player is fantastic,” he said.
“He’s never too high and he’s never too low, he stays calm. You go into every game knowing exactly what you have to do and that makes you feel so much more comfortable as a player.”
Nuno Espirito Santo to sort West Ham’s defensive problems
Nuno was known for how compact his defence could become during his spells at Nottingham Forest and Wolves.
- West Ham have conceded eight goals from corners this season – more than any other team
- They have the worst defence in the league, with 14 goals conceded
In contrast, West Ham’s defence has been worryingly open this season, with Konstantinos Mavropanos at fault for Michael Keane’s headed goal on Monday.
With Wolves, Nuno’s tight defence of Kilman, Coady, and Willy Boly only conceded 47 goals in successive seasons in 2018-19 and 2020-21.
That’s 15 less than the Hammers conceded last campaign.
Therefore, it is likely that he will be able to bring the Hammers’ defence back to its best, and supporters can look forward to a better finish to the season.
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