Former West Ham United manager Alan Pardew was spoilt for choice really when asked to sum up why his old employers are slipping further and further adrift in the Premier League’s relegation zone under Nuno Espirito Santo.
To think, there were some of us who assumed that the appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo – having taken over a Nottingham Forest side in similar circumstances before catapulting them into the European spots – would bring about an immediate revival at the London Stadium.
Turns out, the problems run much deeper than the dugout, even if Nuno’s odd team selections and questionable game-management have hardly helped matters.
Ahead of West Ham United’s potentially season-defining clash with Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night, another defeat would leave them seven points from 17th place.
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It is not as if Alan Pardew didn’t see this coming either. The man who secured promotion to the Premier League and reached an FA Cup final as the club’s manager between 2003 and 2006 has been sounding the alarm for months now.
Pardew feels West Ham’s lack of quality is a bigger issue than even their highly-unpopular stadium. And when watching Nuno scratch his head on the sidelines, Pardew is reminded of his ill-fated West Brom tenure in 2017/18.
The former Crystal Palace and Newcastle coach lasted just six months, winning three out of 21 games from November to April as the Baggies exited the top-flight with barely a whimper. There are murmours that Nuno may also fail to see out the season.
Alan Pardew fears relegation for West Ham United
Speaking to Hammers News after Saturday’s pathetic 3-0 defeat at Wolves, the board insisted that rumours of Nuno’s impending departure are wide of the mark.
He retains the club’s backing, as emphasised by the fact that Nuno played a major role in signing Pablo Felipe and Taty Castellanos for a combined £44 million.
Pardew, though, fears that signing two strikers when you have Max Kilman, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Alphonse Areola at the back is like buying a new 4K TV when the ceiling is caving in.
“I did warn you, didn’t I? I mean, how many weeks have I been saying this about the situation at West Ham?,” Pardew tells talkSPORT. “This has not just crept up on them. This has been there all year and I worry for them.
“When you look at their run of form, and the run of form that they’re on, it really is worrying that there doesn’t seem to be an answer. [Nuno] has tweaked the team. He’s changed it. He’s done this, he’s done that. He can’t seem to find, in that group of players, a system where they can put results together.
“And when you start looking at the stats, it starts looking really worrying for West Ham. When you look at goals against, West Ham have conceded 41 goals, which is the most in the Premier League.
“So, immediately – immediately – you’ve got a massive issue here. The back four, the back three, whatever he’s going to play, and the goalie, that doesn’t look secure. And when that’s not secure, and you’ve got 12 defeats in 20 already, you are looking at relegation.”
Pardew wants defensive signings as West Ham chase Matheus Bento and Charlie Cresswell
In the aftermath of disastrous displays against Man City, Brighton and Wolves, there has been a growing swell of West Ham supporters labelling Kilman the worst pound-for-pound signing in the club’s entire history. At £40 million, it is certainly hard to find a centre-half performing worse week-on-week in the Premier League right now.
Therefore, Nuno will be desperate to have Jean-Clair Todibo back from injury against Nottingham Forest after Mavropanos’ awful return to the XI in the Black Country.
And while Alphonse Areola has been arguably the best of a bad lot in recent times, mistakes are usually never too far away.
How can Nuno FIX the potential absences of Todibo and Paqueta?
Pablo and Castellanos in? Earthy at 10? A start for Mayers?
According to leading Saudi news outlet Arriyadiyah, West Ham have submitted a bid for Bento Matheus, the Al Nassr goalkeeper. The Hammers remain in contention for Toulouse’s £22 million-rated Charlie Cresswell, too. Seemingly, the type of aerially dominant, physically imposing central defender the club has lacked since Craig Dawson’s departure.
Pardew certainly agrees that further recruits are required, particularly at centre-half and between the sticks.
“There’s no point putting your head in the sand and saying, ‘Oh, West Ham have got this, they’ve got Jarrod Bowen, and blah blah blah, we’ll be alright. Callum [Wilson] will come good, etc. We’ve got this great boy [Mateus] Fernandes, got great pace, [Crysencio] Summerville.’
“No. At the moment, this is a dysfunctional side. And I don’t care who the manager is, they’re in big, big trouble and they need to do some business in January.
“Now, they’ve signed [Pablo and Castellanos]. That’s going to be key, but that isn’t the answer. They need to get a defender in there, or two, to secure that back line, otherwise they are going down.
“But I really worry for them defensively. I look at the two centre-backs. You know, when I talk to West Ham fans who go every week, they’re telling me that there’s a continuing issue in that area. That’s the area, and the goalkeeper, the communication between those three.
“Set plays; keep conceding, keep conceding. They look vulnerable. People are bending it under the crossbar on purpose because the keeper is making poor decisions. [Areola] makes unbelievable saves, but there’s stuff about his game at the moment that is fundamentally flawed.”
According to the Daily Mail, West Ham hope to sign Brazil international Bento for around £10 million. Add in Cresswell, and two more additions would take their January spending to nearly £80 million.
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