West Ham United icon Michail Antonio is convinced his former employers have done the right thing by tying down Nuno Espirito Santo ahead of their return to the Championship.
Just days after their relegation was sealed, the Hammers confirmed that Nuno would be staying at the London Stadium.
The expectation initially was that West Ham United would dispense with the Portuguese. Former Burnley boss Scott Parker had been identified as a potential successor.
On a scale of 1-10, how confident are YOU that Nuno leads us straight back up? 👀
Here's why I think we can learn NOTHING from his time at Wolves 👇
But while much has been made of Parker’s superb track record in the second tier – he secured promotion with Burnley, Bournemouth and Fulham – it should not be forgotten that Nuno dominated the Championship with Wolves in 2018.
He will now be given the chance to repeat that title-winning campaign in East London.
Michail Antonio backs Nuno Espirito Santo’s West Ham United stay
Speaking on The Kickabout With Johnny Vaughan podcast over the weekend, Michail Antonio feels that retaining the services of a highly-experienced head coach with a successful Championship past can only be a good thing, even if Nuno is now carrying the baggage of becoming only the third West Ham boss to suffer relegation from the Premier League.
“I feel like keeping him there was massive. It’s a good opportunity,” Antonio says, while dismissing suggestions that Nuno ‘lost the dressing room’ last season.
“To be honest, there is a bit of controversy around him. Obviously, people are putting out that he’s fallen out with players and things like that, which naturally happens in football when results aren’t going your way.
“I fell out with loads of managers! Me and [David Moyes], I had so many battles. But it was an old school relationship; we could shout at each other and then I’m still playing the next game!
“It was one of those ones where we’ll shout at each other and then in training we’ll joke with each other 30 minutes later. That was our relationship. You knew where you stood.
“I liked that because, at the end of the day, we knew we needed each other. We also knew that if I had something to say, I can say it.”
Who do YOU predict will step up in the Championship? 🤨
Freddie Potts' time to shine? George Earthy's breakout season?
Antonio predicts the Hammers will ‘bounce back’
The veteran, one suspects, would relish Nuno’s blunt, occasionally brutal approach to man-management.
Antonio certainly didn’t mesh with Graham Potter’s leadership style. He feels that Nuno’s predecessor has a lot to answer for, having stripped the dressing room of so many influential figures last summer.
West Ham are expected to lose plenty of key players again in 2026, though Antonio is not buying into the theory that they could suffer the same fate as League One-bound Leicester City.
“I don’t feel like they should have gone down. Obviously, West Ham is a big, massive team. They should stay in the Premier League,” adds Antonio. “I don’t think they’re going to be in trouble down there either.
“I think they’ll probably bounce back, but they are going to lose players naturally. They need to sell players.”
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
