Nuno Espirito Santo’s commitment to the West Ham cause has been put in the spotlight by Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi ahead of the big relegation decider.
‘Survival Sunday’ has arrived as West Ham or bitter rivals Spurs face relegation from the Premier League.
The equation is a simple one, the Hammers must beat Leeds and hope Tottenham lose to Everton to stay up.
The only other way Nuno Espirito Santo’s side can stay up is if Spurs draw and they win by 13 goals against Leeds.
De Zerbi puts Nuno in the spotlight with Spurs actions
Any other combination of results will see West Ham drop into the Championship.
The ramifications of relegation will be huge for both clubs on many levels.
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Not least the future of key players and the two managers themselves.
Nuno signed a three-year deal when he replaced Graham Potter back in September while Roberto De Zerbi penned a five-year contract at Spurs.
Speculation has been rife that De Zerbi has a relegation release clause in his contract.
Both managers were asked whether they would stay at their club if they drop into the Championship.
But only one showed he is committed to the cause.
De Zerbi put West Ham boss Nuno to shame with his response to that big Spurs question.
Nuno’s lack of commitment to West Ham put to shame by De Zerbi
On several occasions in recent weeks, Nuno has refused to give any indication whether he intends to stay at West Ham.
Ahead of Leeds, Nuno responded on his West Ham future by once again by saying he would only discuss or think about it after the game.
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What kind of message does that send to his players about commitment to the cause ahead of the club’s biggest match for 15 years?
Hammers News has revealed the real reason for the manager’s sheepishness over that particular question.
Because Nuno has no intention of staying if West Ham are relegated and will walk away as part of a mutual break clause in the event the club is demoted to the second tier.
Over at relegation rivals Tottenham, though, De Zerbi is leading by example as he publicly commits his future to the club regardless of what happens.
And he has only been there for a month, whereas Nuno has had eight to turn things around.
“I confirm everything (I said in my first press conference about staying if relegated remains the same),” De Zerbi said.
“And for me it is still an honour to be a coach for Tottenham. Even after Sunday we play for the relegation fight, it’s not a problem.
“I consider football something more than the table, than the level (division) of the game.”
Tottenham’s players go into battle against Everton knowing their manager is committed to the cause.
They know ‘this guy is with us, even if the worst happens’.
West Ham’s players, on the other hand, face Leeds knowing the opposite is true when it comes to Nuno.
Throw in the fact the likes of Roy Keane pointed out the Portuguese looked defeated just halfway through West Ham’s damaging defeat to Newcastle last weekend, and is it any wonder the Hammers have fallen off when it mattered most.
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