Nuno Espirito Santo secured an unwanted place in the West Ham United history books during a fateful final day of a disastrous Premier League campaign on Sunday.
The Portuguese is only the third Hammers manager to suffer relegation from the competition, and the first since Avram Grant finished rock bottom in 2011.
Hammers News can confirm that Nuno is almost certain to leave the London Stadium after failing to keep West Ham United on the right side of the dreaded dotted line. But if there is one thing Nuno Espirito Santo does deserve some credit for, it is that he brought about improved record on home soil.
Relegation confirmed – where do West Ham go from here?
West Ham’s London Stadium returns under Nuno have been impressive in 2026.
In the eleven games since the 2-1 loss by Nottingham Forest in January – a loss which looks particularly damaging now in hindsight – the capital city club lost only twice; A controversial defeat by Arsenal, and a penalty shoot out loss against Leeds in the FA Cup.
Nuno Espirito Santo pays tribute to West Ham United fans
Even on the day that their fate was sealed, Nuno felt that the support emanating from the stands was nothing short of ‘amazing’.
They will certainly need more of this next season, as this white elephant of a stadium plays host to Lincoln, Bolton and Bristol City.
“It was amazing,” the former Wolves, Forest and Tottenham boss told the club’s YouTube channel. “I think especially here at the London Stadium, we started that feel that it was our home, especially because of the fans, the way they supported and the way they tried to get back.
“We had tough days here, tough days here. But the fans were always there. So, we are really sad and they are frustrated and disappointed and angry, and rightly so.
“But we tried. We tried.”
Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen could stay but Nuno likely to go
Nuno is expected to depart – Scott Parker’s name is already doing the rounds as attention shifts towards potential replacements – but fan favourites such as Tomas Soucek have wasted little time pledging their loyalty towards next season’s attempted promotion push.
An awful day – but who stood out the most vs Leeds?
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Skipper Jarrod Bowen may be in no rush to depart either, indicating that he plans to stick around alongside Soucek and co. A captain, as they say, should never flee a sinking ship.
“The club is the fans. It’s the fans, it’s the most important part of the club. And we have amazing fans that suffer,” adds Nuno, who understood what it meant if not how to navigate the way out of danger.
“They know the team, they know the game, they know every detail.
“They understand. They understood the situation that the boys and we were in in tough moments. They raise us up. They give us the energy that we needed, and we are just disappointed that we didn’t give it back.”
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