Credit: Imago

Jacob Raw

Fri 8 May 2026 12:33, UK

Nuno Espirito Santo‘s future is said to be in his own hands, regardless of whether West Ham United stay in the Premier League or not.

The Hammers currently sit in 18th place in the league, ahead of a massive clash at the London Stadium against title-chasing Arsenal.

A win would all but seal the Premier League for the Gunners, who sit five points clear of Manchester City, with just three games to go.

As for the Hammers, they need a win themselves, as despite a recent turnaround under Nuno, the resurgence of Tottenham looks like a major threat.

West Ham want to keep Nuno at the London Stadium even if they are relegated, but a new update suggests the ball is not in their court.

Nuno Espirito Santo sees himself as ‘elite’ amid relegation fears

West Ham would hope for promotion under Nuno at the first time of asking, as David Sullivan would most likely back the former Nottingham Forest boss with funds this summer.

However, relegation to the Championship would not be as easy as instant promotion, with England’s second-tier now more competitive than ever.

While speaking on Sky Sports News this Friday, journalist Chris Reidy offered his insight into Nuno’s future.

Reidy said: “I’m not sure about jeopardy, because West Ham are keen to keep Nuno whether they go down or not. I think a lot of it is going to be down to Nuno himself.

“Nuno sees himself as an elite manager, so whether he would make the drop to the Championship, it will be a choice for him to make. But as far as I understand, West Ham are really keen to keep him.”

The Sky Sports journalist also revealed that the press will continue to ask the West Ham boss questions over his future, and will quiz him on the matter during his press conference before the Arsenal game.

While it is true that West Ham’s performances have spiked under Nuno, things may have turned too late in the season, with relegation a high probability.

Nuno has something that he didn’t have at Nott’m Forest

Nuno was controversially sacked by Nottingham Forest before joining the Irons earlier in the season, as owner Evangelos Marinakis seemed to forget what happened last campaign.

The Portuguese head coach helped guide Forest into the Europa League, a competition they reached the semi-finals of this year, almost winning silverware glory.

Despite this, Marinakis and Nottingham Forest thought that the now West Ham boss wasn’t good enough, and he was sacked, only for his successor, Ange Postecoglou, to fail after him.

West Ham want to keep Nuno and build a future together, and even if the Hammers are relegated, it could be a mistake for the 52-year-old to seek pastures new at the end of the campaign.