Credit: Imago

Evan Lloyd

Mon 25 May 2026 13:29, UK

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David Sullivan has called Nuno Espirito Santo into crisis talks amid the strong possibility that the West Ham United manager will be sacked after relegation from the Premier League was confirmed.

The Hammers have gone down after 14 seasons in the top flight, with a 3-0 victory over Leeds United on Sunday not enough to extend their stay.

Three straight losses left West Ham relying on Everton and former manager David Moyes to win in North London to send Tottenham down, but they were ultimately flat and beaten 1-0.

Nuno arrived at the London Stadium to replace Graham Potter in September and has spurred on brief periods of strong results, but relegation will likely mark the end of his time with the Irons.

West Ham’s next manager will be tasked with a monstrous rebuilding job, with the squad set to be picked apart in the summer transfer window.

Slaven Bilic to replace Nuno Espirito Santo

Football Insider exclusively revealed at the start of the month that Nuno would be keen to stay at West Ham this summer, but the decision will be taken out of his hands.

According to The Times, a meeting with West Ham’s co-chairman, Sullivan, is going ahead on Monday and could end with the Portuguese manager being relieved of his duties.

Nuno’s contract includes a clause which can be triggered in the event of relegation, allowing West Ham to dismiss him without compensation.

Among the first contenders to replace him will undoubtedly be Slaven Bilic. The 57-year-old is a former West Ham player and managed the Irons between 2015 and 2017, producing a seventh-place finish in the 2015-16 season.

The Croatian has been out of work since 2024, when he left Saudi Arabian team Al-Fateh after just a year in charge.

Bilic is a man well known to Sullivan, and he had reportedly considered re-appointing him to take over from Potter before Nuno suddenly became available.

The former Watford manager has plenty of experience in the Championship, too, taking West Brom up automatically in the 2019-20 campaign.

Should Sullivan be looking for a familiar face, Bilic may well be set to take the reins at West Ham once more.

How close was Bilic to getting the West Ham job in September?

West Ham may well have stayed up, had they appointed Bilic in September. The Croatian knows the club and would undoubtedly have been able to bring the fans together.

The 57-year-old revealed that he had been close to taking the job before a move for Nuno was ultimately opted for.

“There was a bit, I was close, or whatever, but I didn’t get the job,” he told talkSPORT in November. “They got Nuno, who is a top manager, who did a great job at Wolves, not to mention Nottingham Forest.

“After the first couple of games, they were struggling with the system, with some players out of position. But the last couple of games, [Nuno] put out a strong team and it has clicked. Six points in two games.

“He is a top manager and I think they are going to be OK this season.” As we know, they were far from ok, and Bilic himself may be set to benefit.