West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo has already made his preferences clear about his team since replacing Graham Potter around two weeks ago.
Nuno is tasked with transforming West Ham as key decisions have already been taken
Nuno was appointed with fairly high expectations following his fairy-tale spell at Nottingham Forest last season, but it appears vice-chairman Karen Brady was the driving force behind the appointment and the Portuguese’s long-term three-year deal (Alex Crook).
Tasked with stabilizing the team and moving West Ham closer to European qualification rather than the relegation zone, Nuno has sought to imprint his style on the team quickly.
West Ham’s Premier League results so far |
|---|
Sunderland 3-0 West Ham |
West Ham 1-5 Chelsea |
Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham |
West Ham 0-3 Tottenham |
West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace |
Everton 1-1 West Ham |
Arsenal 2-0 West Ham |
West Ham’s leaky defense, which has been a weakness this season, particularly from set-pieces, is already showing signs of improvement under his guidance.
Of the 16 goals conceded in the Premier League so far this season, seven have come directly from corners, and it is absolutely essential that Nuno solves this glaring dead-ball problem if West Ham are to avoid dropping into the Championship.
One of the tactician’s most notable and controversial decisions upon his arrival was to exclude vice-captain James Ward-Prowse from the first-team squad.
The move, which came almost immediately after the first training session at Rush Green on Saturday after Potter was sacked, signaled Nuno’s clear intention to rebuild his midfield and prioritize players he believes fit his tactical blueprint.
Reliable media sources, including Fabrizio Romano, have reported that Ward-Prowse could leave West Ham in January, with other team members potentially following the 30-year-old’s lead depending on Nuno’s assessment.
Romano told the GiveMeSport Newsletter last week: “Ward Prowse is one of them and he could potentially leave the club.”
“For others, it is still too early and they are evaluating their options before making a decision.”
Nuno’s ax is likely to fall again in the coming weeks, and it is thought fellow midfielder Guido Rodriguez could be his next victim.
The Argentine has yet to play a single minute under Nuno, sitting on the bench as an unused substitute against Everton and Arsenal, but West Ham appear keen to let him go.
Guido Rodriguez refuses to leave West Ham after Saudi side reject offer
The player is not in Nuno’s plans, insiders Claret & Hugh report, with the East Londoner struggling to sell Rodriguez after signing the World Cup winner from Real Betis in 2024.
Citing his agent, C&H said Rodriguez rejected a big-money offer from the Saudi side to leave West Ham in the summer, along with four other approaches, and the 31-year-old is happy to stay.
The agent said, “Five clubs showed interest in Rodriguez in the summer, but they did not want him to transfer.”
“An offer from Saudi Arabia would have given him an extra £30,000 a week, but he said no.”
Sharing further quotes from one of our internal sources, West Ham’s reinforcements are described as a “really chaotic mess” and this situation with Rodriguez perhaps highlights their struggle to get money back from players.
“We have to transfer players, but we can’t force players to leave if they don’t want to go,” the official insisted.
“Their recruiting is a real mess. They barely get any benefit from their players.”
Rodriguez has made a total of 26 appearances for West Ham since his move from La Liga and has been regularly linked with an exit since then, including just a few months after joining Rush Green.
This will no doubt be written off as yet another failure by the Hammers’ recruitment team, but luckily for West Ham, any fee will count as pure profit given he was signed as a free agent.
