As reported by The West Ham Way yesterday, the next potential Hammers manager—Nuno Espirito Santo—is well known for wanting control over transfers at any club he manages.
The former Nottingham Forest boss is being strongly tipped to replace Graham Potter should West Ham decide to make a change.
But when Claret & Hugh discussed his possible arrival with a top transfer source, the feedback raised a potential red flag.
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Mendes is the favoured agent of West Ham target Nuno Espirito Santo
“Nuno tries to use Jorge Mendes on every deal,” the insider told us, having been involved in multiple Premier League transfer negotiations.
This could prove problematic for some supporters, who are eager to see West Ham move away from a transfer model driven by favoured agents. After years of influence from figures like Mark Curtis and Will Salthouse, the Fan Advisory Board’s recent vote of no confidence explicitly called for the club to cut ties with such practices. It is however, unlikely such a marriage of convenience would deter the Hammers owners from making the appointment of Nuno if he were to be approached for the job.
That said, there was at least one note of encouragement. Our insider described Espirito Santo as “a talented coach” and, while dismissing the chances of West Ham appointing José Mourinho or Kieran McKenna, he did not rule out Nuno as a serious option.
West Ham already have a Mendes client having signed Mateus Fernandes from Southampton last month.