West Ham may not have been relegated from the Premier League if Nuno Espirito Santo had recognised an obvious mistake.
Nuno signed two strikers in the January transfer window (Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe) to provide some firepower.
He then started them together for most of the Hammers’ remaining Premier League games, and results clearly improved.
West Ham overturned a huge deficit to Tottenham in the final months of the season and had a chance to survive relegation.
However, Nuno could have saved the Hammers if only he had played a different front two than Castellanos and Pablo.
Where was that all season? 🤦♂️ Tell us how you feel about West Ham’s 3-0 win vs Leeds…
West Ham have been relegated despite the victory 😢
Nuno should have paired Taty Castellanos with Callum Wilson, not Pablo Felipe
Castellanos has often been frustrating to watch, as he lacks composure and never looks comfortable in front of goal.
However, the Argentine forward has scored six goals in 18 Premier League games — a decent return in a struggling team.
His incredible long-range strike against Newcastle was only a consolation, but it will be a goal-of-the-season contender.
Castellanos earned his place in West Ham’s starting XI; Nuno’s mistake was persevering with Pablo for too long.
Pablo arrived in better goalscoring form than Castellanos, but that counted for nothing at the London Stadium.
Imagine YOU are in control! Who are you hiring to replace Nuno? 🤔
Tell us who and why below 👇
The 22-year-old has not scored a single goal in 14 league games for West Ham, while his all-round game has not impressed, either.
The only two qualities he has consistently contributed to the team have been physicality and work rate.
Nuno should have recognised much sooner that Pablo was struggling and put more faith in Callum Wilson to save the day.
At 34 years old, Wilson could not play every minute of every game, but he deserved more opportunities than just late-game cameos.
The former Newcastle striker scored seven Premier League goals in the 2025/26 campaign despite starting only 12 games.
It was not surprising to most West Ham fans that they looked most dangerous against Leeds when Wilson came off the bench.
Relegation confirmed – where do West Ham go from here?
Having struggled in the first half with Castellanos and Pablo on the pitch, Wilson made a huge difference in the second half.
Castellanos and Wilson scored a goal each as West Ham looked dangerous every time they went forward.
Nuno’s failure to realise that those two should have played together all along has ultimately cost the Irons survival.
Whether it is Nuno or another manager in the dugout next season, they would be wise to keep Castellanos and Wilson.
The attacking duo could score a bucketload of goals in the Championship, which will be needed to earn promotion.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
