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Nuno Espirito Santo was appointed West Ham boss just 18 days after Nottingham Forest axe; Hammers sacked Graham Potter after nine months in charge with club second bottom of Premier League; Watch Everton vs West Ham live on Sky Sports on Monday Night Football; kick-off 8pm By Kaveh Solhekol, Chris Reidy and Rob Dorsett Sunday 28 September 2025 14: 27, UK West Ham decided to start actively looking for a replacement for Graham Potter after the 3-0 home defeat against Tottenham two weeks ago. Nuno Espirito Santo was the No 1 target and was available after being sacked by Nottingham Forest on September 9. The final straw for Potter was last weekend's 2-1 home defeat by Crystal Palace, although he was already under serious pressure. Talks with Nuno's agent, Jorge Mendes, stepped up and it was only a matter of time before Potter lost his job. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player There was a real fear West Ham would be relegated for the first time in 15 years if the change was not made. West Ham were willing to wait until next month's international break to make the change but Nuno wanted to start working straight away - despite the fact West Ham have two tough away games, against Everton and Arsenal, before the break. Nuno is aware his first task is sorting out West Ham's defending - they have been letting in almost three goals a game and they have conceded seven times from set-pieces this season.
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One added attraction of the West Ham job for Nuno is that he has a family base in London. Potter had a break clause in his contract at the end of this season so West Ham do not have to pay him for the full term of his deal, which runs to the summer of 2027. Potter was told he was losing his job after he arrived to take training on Saturday morning. Potter was, of course, aware his job was at risk but he continued working as normal, preparing the squad for the Everton game. The mood at the training ground had been calm and pretty positive, under the circumstances, and as the week went on, the players were not expecting Potter to leave. Several members of the squad wanted Potter to stay but others, as is the case at most clubs, wanted a change. Nuno accepted the job after a face-to-face meeting with West Ham chairman David Sullivan and vice chair Karren Brady. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player There were two other candidates for the job. Their names have not been reported in the media yet. Slaven Bilic was also willing to return but Sullivan was not convinced he was the solution, even though Bilic was prepared to sign a short-term contract until the end of the season. As with any manager, Nuno will have to manage up as well as down. That is easier said than done with all the off-pitch issues at West Ham. The only manager in recent times who has succeeded on both fronts is David Moyes - he brought success on the pitch and, on the whole, he enjoyed a good relationship with Sullivan and Brady. Sullivan was not fully convinced from the outset that Potter was the right man for the job. Other influential voices at the club convinced him to make the appointment. Bad results and performances increase the pressure on the West Ham board but a change of manager will not magically make the deep-seated concerns of many fans suddenly disappear. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player The issues they have are not just about results, they are about the way the whole club is being run. The West Ham job is widely acknowledged as being one of the most difficult in the game. Results were clearly not good enough under Potter, but the problems at the club cannot be fixed by one man alone in nine months. Potter did not have the kind of budget this summer other West Ham managers have had. And the issues in the squad could not be fixed in one window with the budget he had. He also had to deal with the departure of one of his best players - Mohammed Kudus - and the uncertainty surrounding the future of Lucas Paqueta. There was a lot of sympathy internally for Potter about the way he handled himself during his media duties on Friday. One insider said Potter proved he was a class act - but there is very little room for sentimentality in modern football. Super 6 are starting the season by guaranteeing a £1, 000, 000 winner! Play for free.
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