Credit: Imago

Cameron Smith

Mon 25 May 2026 15:10, UK

West Ham United’s relegation to the Championship was confirmed on Sunday, despite their 3-0 win against Leeds.

The Hammers were left with work to do on the final day, with a win required, while they were left hoping for an Everton triumph against Tottenham.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side would do their job, but former boss David Moyes was unable to provide a big favour, with Spurs securing their survival with a Joao Palhinha goal.

It has been a dismal year for the Irons, who have been unable to pull away from the drop zone.

West Ham themselves have been failing on and off the pitch for a while now, but Nuno must not hide behind this and has to accept his part in the disastrous outcome.

Nuno influence has not met expectations for West Ham – despite small improvements

Upon his arrival last September, West Ham were in a dire position.

After a poor start to the season, the task at the London Stadium was a big one, though the simple fact of the matter is that Nuno had 33 matches to rescue the Irons.

For months, the Portuguese boss would struggle at the helm, with West Ham sitting 18th at the halfway point, four points from safety, while the adage of ‘new manager bounce’ did not apply in this instance.

An uptick would come, with Nuno’s side securing a big 2-1 win away at Tottenham in January, followed by a strong turn in performance level.

Ultimately, the Hammers would never be quite able to pull away from the bottom three – something that could have proven different.

Nuno would persist with the underperforming Pablo, deploy an unnecessary back five against Arsenal and Newcastle, have reported bust-ups with Callum Wilson and James Ward-Prowse, while he was seemingly unable to fully galvanise the group in ways he had in previous jobs.

West Ham have been a failing club for multiple years, hence the managerial merry-go-round since Moyes’ 2024 departure, but Nuno sits in this group that has ultimately failed to deliver at the London Stadium and must take his share of the blame for the demise.

Nuno fails his stunning Premier League record

A year on from securing European football with Nottingham Forest, Nuno has tasted relegation for the first time in his career.

After previous successful spells in the Premier League, he has simply failed to strike the same bond with players and supporters alike, as the Hammers have continued to struggle at the bottom end of the Premier League.

During spells with both Wolves and Forest, he would guide both clubs to Europe, while his biggest strengths lay in galvanising an entire club – something he has failed to do at the London Stadium.

At both Molineux and the City Ground, he achieved God-like status and was able to fully mould both clubs in his image, carrying both fanbases in the palm of his hand.

Upon his Forest appointment in 2023, he would steer the Garibaldi to safety before they skyrocketed into the European race just a year later.

Throughout his career in England, he has proven somewhat of an expert in the upper mid-table region of the division, and West Ham would have had every right to be aiming in that direction should top-flight status have been secured.

For some reason or another, though, he has failed to galvanise the Irons in the same way, and of course, he is not solely to blame, but there has to be a serious inquest as to just why the appointment has not met the expectations of all involved – Nuno himself included.