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EPL Editor’s note: This is an updated version of an article that first appeared on The Athletic on September 26 West Ham United confirmed the arrival of Nuno Espirito Santo as their new head coach on Saturday, just hours after the departure of predecessor Graham Potter. A difficult start to the season under Potter has left the east London side second-bottom of the Premier League table after five games. He struggled to implement his preferred brand of football with the players available to him, moving between several formations during his eight months in charge. Advertisement Nuno, though, is something of a tactical chameleon. As Wolverhampton Wanderers’ head coach between 2017 and 2021, he had success with the 3-5-2 formation. More recently at Nottingham Forest, he used a 4-2-3-1, leading them into Europe, too. The Portuguese is also known for getting the best out of the players available to him: striker Chris Wood scored 20 Premier League goals for Forest, his 12th club across the top three divisions of English football since 2008, last season — Nuno’s sole full campaign in charge at the City Ground. But will the 51-year-old work as West Ham coach? And whose careers might he elevate to new heights? The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas has had a look. Nuno was surprisingly sacked earlier this month, despite leading Forest to European qualification last season. Forest’s seventh-placed finish in the top flight was their highest in 30 years. They also reached the FA Cup semi-finals, where they lost to Manchester City. It’s a level of achievement that explains why Nuno’s managerial stock remains high despite that sudden exit from his previous job. Offensively, Forest were good at hurting teams on the counter with their pace. They registered more total fast breaks (47) than West Ham (31) last season in their 38 league matches. Defensively, they were organised and disciplined, conceding 46 goals, 16 fewer than West Ham. Nuno’s men also kept 13 clean sheets, only champions Liverpool (14) had more. Nuno worked with West Ham centre-back Maximilian Kilman at Wolves for three seasons, and the 28-year-old could benefit most from his appointment of their current group of players. Kilman is struggling to overcome a loss of form and has been a weak link on defensive corners — he was outmuscled by Crystal Palace counterpart Marc Guehi before striker Jean-Philippe Mateta scored a header in the 2-1 win at the London Stadium last weekend that turned out to be Potter’s final match in charge. “I was a big, strong boy, but I had so much to work on, ” Kilman told the Birmingham Mail in 2020 while explaining the impact Nuno had on his young career. “(He improved) my game, understanding and my physicality. When I came in (from non-League football), I had never played five at the back, so I’ve had to adapt and understand my role as a defender. I’ve had to become stronger and sharper, and that’s what I lacked when I first came into Wolves. ” Advertisement Forest’s central defensive duo Nikola Milenkovic, who had been a West Ham transfer target in 2021 when at Italian club Fiorentina, and Murillo formed a solid partnership under Nuno. The options at that position he’s inheriting from Potter are Kilman, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Igor Julio and Jean-Clair Todibo. West Ham have conceded seven goals from corners this season, the most in the Premier League, so will hope to tap into Nuno’s track record for improving defenders. The Portuguese gave Forest, who successfully fought off relegation under predecessor Steve Cooper in their 2022-23 post-promotion season but were facing another battle with the drop when they sacked the Welshman in December 2023, an identity which allowed them to compete with the bigger clubs. Last season, they did the double over both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, took four points off title-bound Liverpool, including a win at Anfield, beat City and earned draws with Chelsea and Arsenal. Nuno’s ability to also improve the efficiency of his attacking players was incredibly impressive. Below is a list of players who had scored and registered the most assists from fast breaks in the league between Nuno replacing Cooper and Potter’s sacking on Saturday morning. Anthony Elanga, who moved to Newcastle United for £52million ($69. 6m at the current rate) in July, and his former Forest team-mate Morgan Gibbs-White rank high, while West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen is not too far behind. Bowen and Summerville will likely be key attacking options for Nuno’s West Ham. It is worth remembering the latter was a transfer target for him at Forest: when Elanga joined Newcastle, the former Leeds winger was viewed as an ideal replacement but stayed loyal to West Ham. The graphic below shows that Nuno’s Forest did not prioritise possession or deep build-up play last season. They defended deep and relied on the solidity and strength of their defensive shape to absorb pressure and hit teams on the break. Do not expect West Ham to prioritise having the ball under their new head coach, but clearly, his managerial nous could benefit them and the players they have at their disposal. Advertisement If Nuno can solidify the West Ham defence, stop them from conceding so frequently at set pieces and also get their pacy wide players firing more regularly, he could arrest this difficult start to the season. His mission to pull West Ham out of danger begins tonight (Monday) away to Everton. (Top photo: Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Roshane Thomas is a staff writer who covers West Ham United for The Athletic. Previously, he worked for the Sunday Times and talk SPORT. Follow Roshane on Twitter @Roshane Sport