West Ham plan to sack Nuno Espirito Santo – ‘This is when it will happen’
West Ham are now considering parting ways with Nuno Espirito Santo after a string of disastrous results since his appointment at the London Stadium.
That is according to former West Ham and Man United senior scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected at his previous clubs, as he exclusively told Football Insider that a defeat against Nottingham Forest will likely spell an end to his tenure.
West Ham lost 3-0 to Wolves at Molineux last time out, with the hosts having only picked up two points in the 19 games prior to their meeting.
The Hammers are now nine games without a win, and have been victorious in just two of their 15 games under Nuno, raising major concerns about his position.
They are now placed 18th in the Premier League table, four points shy of safety, but a defeat against Forest will cut them seven points adrift.
West Ham could sack Nuno Espirito Santo soon
Brown warned Football Insider on 2 January that West Ham’s problems won’t be solved by sacking Nuno, with issues running deeper than the manager’s form.
However, the former scout who has a wealth of experience working closely alongside top-level managers including Sir Alex Ferguson and David Moyes, insisted that the board are now looking for a scapegoat with fingers pointed at the boss.
“West Ham are a basket case,” he told Football Insider.
“These issues are not new, they’ve been in the making for some time, and no matter who the manager is or who they get in, I don’t think it will change.
“They simply don’t have the players to drag them out of this situation, they’re not good enough.
“But the blame ultimately lies with the manager, they need somebody to point the finger at to mask their own incompetence and he is the one who will get the blame.
“Results haven’t been good enough since he came in and the fans aren’t happy, so I would say he probably doesn’t have long left.
“They’ve got this game against Forest on Tuesday, and if they lose that they’re in big trouble, so I think that’s when they might make a change.”
West Ham line up Nuno replacement after sack news
As pressure on Nuno’s position ramps up with the growing expectation that he could soon be sacked, West Ham are already lining up potential replacements.
While Michael Carrick has been linked with the role, Slaven Bilic is the favourite at West Ham, and odds have been slashed by bookies ahead of his potential return.
This comes after Brown told Football Insider on 3 January that Bilic is in line to return to West Ham and has maintained a strong relationship with the club.
Should results fail to improve and the board deem it necessary amid fan pressure, Nuno could be sacked, and Bilic would be available to step straight in.
Football Insider revealed in September that Bilic had been considered to replace Graham Potter at the London Stadium before they pushed forward with Nuno’s appointment.
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