Three years after ending a 43-year trophy drought in Prague to secure theUEFA Europa Conference League, the Hammers now find themselves needing to rebuild for a season in the second tier: the accumulation of a torridPremier League campaign.
Plagued by off-field turbulence ever since their move to the London Stadium, relegation has only intensified their financial instability with key assets such as Jarrod Bowen and Mateus Fernandes now potentially available for cut-price fees.
Nonetheless, retaining the services of Espirito Santo in a division where he flourished withWolverhampton Wanderersin 2018 as they secured the title acts as a sign of stability. This could prove crucial if West Ham are to successfully navigate the unpredictable waters of the second tier.
The Rebuild
Since Sunday’s relegation, reports have circulated detailing how West Ham will be forced to raise around £150 million in player sales which would most likely see some of their aforementioned stars depart.
Regardless, West Ham undoubtedly still have a huge pulling power which may help them to outmuscle fellow promotion hopefuls in the transfer market this summer.
With a new boss in the dugout inevitably comes fresh ideas and tactics to implement and with a spine of this season expected to remain, bringing in a new manager would add further disruption in a squad which is bound to have a significant make-over.
Taty Castellanos celebrating a goal for West Ham in the Premier League
Taty Castellanos netted six goals since his January arrival from Lazio (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Since the turn of the year which is a pivotal point in West Ham’s season with the attacking reinforcements of Taty Castellanos and Pablo being brought in, the Hammers would have finished in seventh place. Ultimately, this emphasises the influential role Espirito Santo had in steering a sinking ship away from relegation which looked destined to sink without his recruitment.
Although relegation is detrimental in every sense, particularly financially, a season in the Championship could be crucial in shaping the long-term future of West Ham instead of flirting with relegation once again.
A proven track record
Espirito Santo isn’t the primary reason as to why the Hammers plummeted into second tier, most of the damage had been done prior to his arrival in East London.
His four-year stint at Wolves proved a major success, guiding them to the Championship title in his first season before progressing to the latter stages of the Europa League and reaching anEmirates FA Cup semi-final.
Nuno Espirito Santo guiding Wolverhampton Wanderers to the Premier League title
Guiding Wolves to the Premier League (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Similar success followed atNottingham Forest following a troubled spell at Spurs, securingEuropa League football in the2024/25 campaign having been tipped for a relegation dogfight and spending most of the season in the top four.
This proves how the 52-year-old, given the right resources and time this summer, can be a major driving force to a successful long-term rebuild and emulate a run of three successive campaigns competing in European football in previous seasons.
A lack of clear replacements
It’s key to acknowledge how the West Ham hierarchy may have been influenced by the lack of managers currently on the market as they put faith in Espirito Santo.
Scott Parker’s promotion pedigree speaks for itself having secured Premier League football forFulham,BournemouthandBurnley. Nevertheless, the ex-Hammers midfielder has struggled to retain their top-flight status so his appointment would feel more like a short-term fix.
Scott Parker on the touchline struggling to secure Premier League safety
Struggling to secure Premier League safety (Photo by Simon Hall/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Links to the likes of Slaven Billic, Gary O’Neill and Gareth Southgate carry an uninspiring tone so building a team in the mould of Espirito Santo feels the safest and most sensible path forward.
In a time of off-field concerns, stability on the pitch is what is needed and the ex-Porto boss offers that.
Bowen and Fernandes as well as El Hadji Malick Diouf and Crysencio Summerville have already been linked with moves away, all of which would be seismic losses. The competitiveness of the second tier will also mean the Hammers will have to act fast and shrewdly in their business if they are to be challenging in the upper echelons of the division.
The disastrous back-to-back relegation ofLeicester Citylast season needs to act as a lesson for West Ham on the consequences of getting this summer wrong. Nevertheless, Espirito Santo is a safe pair of hands who can be trusted in constructing this monumental rebuild which lies ahead.