West Ham United’s board have delivered a stern warning to manager Nuno Espirito Santo ahead of Saturday’s clash with Burnley, following fresh speculation over his future.
Hammers News exclusive
Nuno Espirito Santo has only been at West Ham for four months – but speculation over his future has been rife from the get-go.
Since replacing the hapless Graham Potter, West Ham’s owners have been forced to clarify the situation over the Portuguese’s future on multiple occasions.
When the Hammers lost to Fulham, Wolves and his old club Forest over Christmas, it looked like Nuno was done for at West Ham.
Especially as that dismal run of results left the team well adrift of safety in the battle for Premier League survival.
Decisive weekend looms large for West Ham’s survival hopes
Despite wins over Spurs and Sunderland since, that remains the case for West Ham heading into a literal six-pointer against fellow relegation rivals Burnley on Saturday.
Most now believe the two teams below the Hammers are already consigned to the drop.
Just how IMPORTANT is this Burnley match for West Ham? 🫨
The very definition of a 'six-pointer'
Mateus Fernandes of West Ham United celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Sunderland at London Stadium on January 24, 2026 in London, England.
MORE WEST HAM STORIES
Burnley will be joining Wolves in the Championship next season after they made it 15 games without a win when they lost to 3-0 to Sunderland on Monday night.
West Ham sit in 18th place with 14 games to go, six points behind Leeds and Forest.
Nuno Espirito Santo reacts during West Ham's Premier League game with Wolves.
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
But with the worst defence in the Premier League, West Ham’s goal difference is worth an extra point to both those sides right now.
Nuno will be hoping deadline day arrival Axel Disasi can help West Ham start keeping clean sheets to turn that around.
But it is clear the Hammers must somehow win at least six of their remaining games to stand any chance of staying up.
There is even a forecast that 43 points will be required to survive this term.
Relegation is unthinkable for the Irons, especially with record £100m plus losses coming in the club’s latest accounts.
West Ham board warn Nuno about Burnley after new sack claim
With that as the backdrop, the game against former Hammer Scott Parker’s Clarets is huge.
Now the West Ham board have warned Nuno about Burnley after a new sack claim.
If you were Nuno, which of these players are you calling up for Burnley?
A Disasi debut? A Wilson re-call? Tell us what Nuno must change
The London Stadium hierarchy have laid it on the line after the encouraging yet ultimately devastating 3-2 collapse at Chelsea last weekend.
Nuno has faced criticism from West Ham fans over his tactics in a number of games since he arrived in east London.
Chelsea was no different as the Hammers boss was savaged by supporters for changing to a defensive formation and bringing on Max Kilman when West Ham were leading.
West Ham majority owner David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady in the director's box during the defeat to Crystal Palace
Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images
Frustrations are understandable given the surrender meant West Ham have given up 18 points from winning positions under Nuno.
Even if West Ham had held on for half of those points, they would now be level with 14th-placed Spurs.
Instead they go into the Burnley game knowing only a win will do – especially with Forest and Leeds playing one another on Friday night in what feels like a decisive weekend for West Ham’s survival hopes.
The Athletic have claimed this week that Nuno can be sacked without compensation if West Ham are relegated to the Championship.
It was one of the clauses in the three-year contract he signed with the Hammers just weeks after being axed by Forest after a fall-out with owner Evangelos Marinakis.
With constant question marks over his tactics, there have been frequent calls for change from some West Ham fans.
West Ham owners tell Nuno what must happen at Burnley
And now West Ham’s owners have made the situation perfectly clear to the manager.
Hammers News asked the top spokesman for West Ham’s owners whether this weekend is seen as pivotal in the relegation dogfight given the fixtures with four of the bottom five playing one another.
It was put to the most senior Hammers spokesman whether the club is hoping for a draw when Leeds host Forest while it is clearly imperative West Ham beat Burnley.
Especially as West Ham know they will gain ground on one or both sides as long as they win.
Victory for the Irons at Turf Moor would put them on 23 points. That will leave them four points off Leeds and Forest if they draw and three points off one of them if there is a winner.
And West Ham’s owners have made it clear to Nuno what must happen this weekend.
“It is a must-win game at Burnley, it really is as simple as that,” the top spokesman for West Ham’s owners exclusively told Hammers News.
“We must win on Saturday.”
There has been much debate over whether West Ham should keep Nuno if they drop – assuming he wants to stay and manage in the Championship.
The stance of the board in sticking by Nuno during that horrific run of results over Christmas- when the team did not win for 10 games – suggests they won’t sack him until the end of the season or if West Ham can no longer mathematically survive.
But their patience will clearly be tested to the limit if West Ham fail to beat Burnley this Saturday.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox