Credit: Imago/Sky Sports

Declan Carr

Mon 11 May 2026 20:35, UK

David Sullivan must take notice of Gary Neville’s comment on Nuno Espirito Santo‘s future at West Ham United.

There are plenty of question marks, and it is uncertain whether the Portuguese boss will be at the London Stadium next season.

The 52-year-old has not made it clear, publicly or privately, whether he wishes to remain in E20 beyond the end of the current campaign.

That decision may well depend on whatever division the Hammers are in when the new campaign comes around, as he may not want to manage them in the Championship.

However, as Neville states, West Ham must do all they can to keep him in the dugout, especially if they do get relegated.

What did Neville say about Nuno’s future?

The uncertainty over Nuno’s future at West Ham makes it hard for the East London club to plan for the future.

They need to resolve it as soon as possible, and Neville believes that too.

Speaking on the Gary Neville Podcast after the 1-0 loss to Arsenal on 10 May, he said: “Whatever they need to do to keep him, they should keep him.

“Because that will do is stabilise things, it will stop the domino effect of ‘Well, if you lose the manager, you lose the best players’.

“The rest of them, then, that are still left have got excuses, and the fans become demotivated. If you’re an owner of a club that goes down, what you want to do straight away is hang onto your manager if he’s the one not taking you down, which Nuno hasn’t.

“He’s the one who, basically, I think, has given them hope.

“Then what you’d probably have to do is go to a [Jarrod] Bowen, a [Crysencio] Summerville, a Pablo [Felipe], a [Taty] Castellanos, a [Tomas] Soucek, a [Mateus] Fernandes and say ‘Okay, I need 12 months from you. I need you to get us back up, this great club and these 60,000 fans that will come and watch us can’t be in the Championship for more than one year.”

Why West Ham chief Sullivan must get it done

Sullivan has been much maligned in E20 over the years, with many feeling like he has neglected the club and protesting against his leadership.

However, he could redeem himself slightly if he can convince Nuno to stick around, even if they are in the second-tier.

The 77-year-old must throw all he can at the manager, whether that is money, the promise of flashy new signings, a break clause, anything to keep him at the club.

As Neville claims, the boss is not the reason the Hammers could drop down a division, he has given them a proper fighting chance, and it could set off a chain reaction if he departs, leading to several exits of key players

That would be disastrous for the Irons, and make the job of coming back up much harder, if they cannot overhaul Tottenham by the end of the campaign.

Keeping the former Nottingham Forest boss in his place would be the best solution for everyone involved with the club, and Sullivan must lead the fight and get it done, otherwise it could tank his reputation with the fanbase even further.