Nuno Espirito Santo’s previous experience of the Championship saw him lead Wolves to the title [Getty Images]
Nuno Espirito Santo will stay on as West Ham manager to lead their fight to get back to the Premier League at the first attempt.
The Portuguese met with the club’s senior management on Monday in the wake of their relegation from the top flight.
Although both parties could have severed ties without compensation, they decided to stick together in the hope Nuno will repeat his promotion campaign with Wolves in 2018.
“We are pleased to confirm he has expressed his continued commitment to the club – as we have to him,” wrote the club in an open letter to supporters.
“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 Championship and it was an outstanding success as he secured 99 points to win the title with Wolverhampton Wanderers.”
West Ham’s statement accepts the club “cannot shy away from the fact our season has not been good enough”.
The Hammers have been relegated to the Championship for the first time since 2012.
Club sources estimate it will cost them £200m in lost revenue, which means, after a hefty loss of more than £100m in their latest accounts and more losses expected this season, player sales from a squad including much coveted stars like skipper Jarrod Bowen and Portugal midfielder Mateus Fernandes are inevitable.
Nuno’s promotion drive at Wolves was led by Ruben Neves and loan signings including Diogo Jota. It remains to be seen whether he will have the same calibre of players this time around.
However, after a slow start following Graham Potter’s dismissal in September, West Ham feel they have seen enough in Nuno to believe he can repeat his promotion feat.
“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,” the club said.
“A total of 25 points taken from our final 17 Premier League matches equated to 1.47 points per game – a ratio that would have resulted in a 7th place finish across the total season. Furthermore, we feel the clear improvement in squad mentality and togetherness since January, leading to that upturn in performances and results, makes him the right man to lead us forward.”
More to follow.
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