Credit: Imago

Cameron Smith

Wed 27 May 2026 11:10, UK

West Ham United have confirmed that Nuno Espirito Santo will remain in charge ahead of the 2026-27 season.

The Hammers’ worst fears were realised on Sunday, as they were relegated to the Championship despite a 3-0 win over Leeds United.

Nuno took over at the end of September last year and was handed 33 matches to drag the Irons away from Premier League trouble.

Despite major improvements since the turn of the year, West Ham were ultimately unable to pull clear of the drop zone, condemning them to their first second-tier campaign since 2012.

Even so, Nuno is set to stay at the helm, and the East London club have absolutely nailed that decision.

Nuno has proven he can guide West Ham straight back

With West Ham announcing the decision on Wednesday morning, they confirmed that positive talks have taken place with the Portuguese boss.

Said to be highly motivated for the job ahead, the former goalkeeper has been handed the task of an immediate bounce back to the Premier League.

Leaving Porto at the end of the 2016-17 season, then-Championship outfit Wolves would shock the division with his appointment.

Still a relative unknown in English football at the time, his stature in Portugal, alongside the rapport with agent Jorge Mendes, the likes of Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota would follow, after Mendes had previously aided the club with the signings of Helder Costa and Ivan Cavaleiro.

That year, the Old Gold would take the Championship by storm with a brand of football unheard of in the division.

Racking up 99 points, Nuno’s side would emphatically win the league, proving Steve Bruce’s comments regarding foreign imports being unable to compete over the winter months wrong.

Keeping 24 clean sheets, Wolves remained incredibly solid, while they shone in front of goal, scoring 84 times, despite going large parts of the campaign without a recognised number nine.

Nuno’s side were also strong from set pieces, with their 21 goals sitting at the top of this bracket alongside Neil Warnock’s Cardiff.

With an exciting young core, mixed with the Championship steel of John Ruddy, Ryan Bennett, Matt Doherty and even Barry Douglas, who arrived in the summer of 2017, Wolves struck the perfect balance under Nuno, and were promoted to the top flight for the first time since the 2012 relegation with relative ease.

West Ham have something to believe in ahead of promotion ambitions

Following their promotion to the Premier League, Wolves grew even stronger under Nuno.

Raul Jimenez, Joao Moutinho, Rui Patricio and Jonny all arrived in the summer of 2018 – signings that would not have been possible without the respect Nuno commands within the game.

Wolves finished seventh, with the Old Gold qualifying for the Europa League, before reaching the quarter-finals a year later alongside another seventh-place league finish.

While his record in the Championship shows he can guide a team out of the second tier, his achievements in the top flight speak for themselves.

In addition to his exploits at Molineux, he steered Nottingham Forest to safety in 2024, then launched the Garibaldi into Europe in his first full season.

Naturally, that was the hope at West Ham, but there is still plenty to believe in going forward.

Not only do they have a manager with a proven second-tier pedigree, but there is genuine long-term value – something that might not have been the case had the Irons appointed a coach based solely on promotion-winning experience.

This season has not gone to plan, but West Ham need stability, and Nuno’s record suggests he can provide exactly that – setting the East London club up for years to come after a much‑needed reset.