Nuno closing in as West Ham sharpen the axe on Potter after grim start
West Ham look set to act. With the Hammers mired second-bottom after five games and the atmosphere at the London Stadium turning sour, the club are closing in on Nuno Espirito Santo to replace Graham Potter, according to journalist Alan Nixon. It’s the clearest sign yet that patience upstairs is wearing thin.
The state of play at the London Stadium
Potter’s numbers make uncomfortable reading. Since arriving in January 2025, he’s managed just six wins in 25 matches, a return of only 0.92 points per game. He hasn’t delivered a Premier League home victory since that 2-0 over Leicester back in February, and the only league win this season came away at Nottingham Forest. It’s no wonder the board have been weighing up alternatives, especially with West Ham owning the division’s leakiest defence so far — 13 conceded in five. That’s relegation form, plain and simple.
Why Nuno appeals
Nuno is available and experienced. He took charge of Nottingham Forest in December 2023 and kept them up, finishing 17th and six clear of the drop. He then went one better — much better — steering Forest to a seventh-place finish last term and a first European berth since 1995/96. Across 71 matches he won 30, a record that hints at organisation and resilience, two things West Ham are crying out for right now. Add in his spells at Rio Ave, Valencia, Porto, Wolves, Tottenham and Al-Ittihad, and you’ve got a manager who’s seen just about every scenario top-level football can throw at you.
The Forest fallout
It wasn’t all rosy at the City Ground, mind. Nuno admitted in August he wasn’t close to owner Evangelos Marinakis and said that relationship had shifted. He also fired a few warning shots over recruitment, calling the squad unbalanced and nowhere near ready for the new campaign. The marriage ended abruptly: Forest dismissed him earlier this month — just three games into the season and not long after handing him a new three-year deal. Still, the work on the pitch turned heads, and West Ham have clearly taken note.
What happens next
The timing is brutal for Potter. West Ham face back-to-back away trips to Everton and Arsenal before the October international break — hardly the fixtures you’d choose when your defence is on skates. If Nixon’s line proves accurate, the board may want Nuno in the building swiftly to steady the back line and squeeze points out of a tricky fortnight.
If you’re tracking the managerial market and the latest prices, our guide to the best betting sites has you covered — but don’t be surprised if the odds shorten quickly should West Ham make their move.
Bottom line: the Hammers need structure, belief and a clean sheet or two. Nuno’s calling card is organisation — a compact shape, clarity without the ball, and enough nous in transition to pinch results. On current evidence, that’s exactly what West Ham need to stop the slide and get the London Stadium bouncing again.
