What Nuno Espirito Santo told the West Ham board in a summit meeting convinced them to keep him as the club make a vow to disgruntled supporters.
Nuno Espirito Santo was widely expected to leave West Ham in the event of relegation.
The Hammers had a break clause in Nuno’s three-year deal if they dropped down to the Championship.
A host of names have been linked as potential replacements from Scott Parker and Slaven Bilic to Craig Bellamy and even Nuno’s assistant Paco Jemez.
How Nuno convinced West Ham board to keep him
None of those candidates were particularly convincing as far as Hammers fans were concerned.
So there was some relief when West Ham made an ambitious statement on the future of Nuno and Jarrod Bowen overnight.
Who is most to BLAME for West Ham going down? 😠
Explain your choice in the comments… 💭
The club made it clear they hoped both Nuno and the captain would be staying on in the Championship.
Now it is a case of one down, one to go after the Irons confirmed the Portuguese will remain head coach next season.
And it is what Nuno told the West Ham board that convinced them to keep him as a vow is made to angry fans.
Prior to the summit meeting with Nuno over his future, West Ham’s board were unsure of his appetite to manage the club in the Championship as it was he who pushed for a break clause should relegation occur.
But West Ham’s joint chairs David Sullivan, Daniel Kretinsky and Vanessa Gold have revealed that Nuno convinced them he is the right man to continue after showing his hunger to get the club back into the Premier League.
The Hammers’ hierarchy have also vowed to listen to fans on every aspect of how the club is run, starting with applying up to 30 per cent discount on next term’s season ticket prices.
Hammers owners reveal what Nuno told them in summit meeting
“Although relegation is not what any of us wanted, we now have to look forward,” West Ham said in a statement.
“The Board must now review every aspect of the Club’s operation to ensure that when we return to the Premier League – hopefully in August 2027 – we are a better West Ham United in every way, on and off the pitch.
Which players could actually BENEFIT from a Championship season? 🤨
“The football operation always has to be our first priority and the planning for next season started as soon as the final whistle sounded on Sunday.
“We held meetings with Head Coach Nuno Espírito Santo early this week and are pleased to confirm that he has expressed his continued commitment to the Club – as we have to him.
“Nuno made it very clear that he is highly motivated for the challenge of guiding West Ham United back to the top flight at the first time of asking. That must be the unquestionable goal for next season.
“Nuno has spent one previous year in the EFL Championship and it was an outstanding success as he secured 99 points to win the title with Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2018.
“While the ultimate outcome on Sunday was a painful one, the Board of Directors believe that there have been broader signs of improvement and progress in recent months, and we want Nuno to continue developing that progress.”
Here is every team West Ham will face in Championship as the 2026-27 fixture release date is confirmed.
There is less than a month to wait to find out the path West Ham will take as they plot promotion and there will undoubtedly be plenty of comings and goings this summer.
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