**Former Hammer Joe Cole has backed West Ham to avoid relegation from the Premier League this season.**
The 44-year-old, a former West Ham academy graduate and first-team player, believes that Nuno Espírito Santo’s side have what it takes to stay up.
It has been an appalling season for the Irons, but over the last six weeks they have looked like a side capable of survival. Despite still sitting in 18th place, West Ham appear more organised, more creative and more determined to avoid the drop.
The Hammers’ recent run of form has impressed Cole, who admitted that he believes the Irons can escape relegation.
“I look at them and go, ‘I think they’re going to get out of it’. I think they will. I’m happy to put my neck on the line now — I think West Ham will stay up.”
Additionally, Jamie Redknapp praised Nuno’s side following their 0–0 draw with Bournemouth. Speaking on Sky Sports, the former Liverpool midfielder claimed that West Ham are “a team that you can pin your hopes on” and noted that the Irons have “matchwinners” such as Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville.
Redknapp also singled out Hammers new signing Axel Disasi. Like many, the 52-year-old has been pleasantly surprised by how seamlessly the Frenchman has slotted into West Ham’s back line.
West Ham have kept three clean sheets with Disasi in the team — prior to his arrival, they had managed just one all season. Redknapp admitted that if the Hammers stay up this year, the centre-back could prove to be a vital piece of business from the January window.
Of course, the Irons remain in the relegation zone and travel to Anfield this weekend — a venue where they have rarely enjoyed success. But the momentum Nuno’s side have built over recent weeks has not gone unnoticed, either by West Ham supporters or by neutrals.