Dean Ashton discussed Nuno Espirito Santo’s job at West Ham during his appearance on Monday Night Football.
Nuno replaced Graham Potter as Hammers manager in late September, and it took him a while to make an impact.
The Portuguese boss endured a difficult first few months at the London Stadium before turning things around in 2026.
Ashton has now explained why he feared Nuno would be sacked before West Ham’s recent improvement.
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Dean Ashton shares previous concerns about Nuno Espirito Santo at West Ham
West Ham hired Nuno Espirito Santo with one objective: to keep West Ham in the Premier League.
The Hammers’ season had gotten off to a terrible start under Graham Potter, and they were heading for the Championship.
Nuno then struggled to have a ‘new manager bounce’, and there had even been rumours of another managerial change.
Ashton highlighted West Ham’s defeats to Wolves and Nottingham Forest in January as two significant blows.
He also worried months ago about Nuno’s lack of rapport with Hammers supporters, but those concerns have been quashed.
“He is very calm,” Ashton said. “I’ve now seen him in plenty of interviews after games, whether they’ve lost or won, and he keeps a very good level.
“But I worried for him after the Wolves performance and then losing to Nottingham Forest at home.
“It didn’t feel like there was that connection with the supporters, which is very important at West Ham, but they stuck by him.
“They gave him some help with players, and you can almost see him growing in confidence, knowing he has a team that you genuinely believe in.”
Ashton no longer has any concerns about Nuno’s ability to keep West Ham in the Premier League this season.
He has predicted them to pick up seven points from their five remaining games, with victories against Everton and Leeds.
Considering the Hammers have earned 19 points from their last 12 league fixtures, that would appear a reasonable expectation.
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