Nuno Espirito Santo is back! West Ham confirm ex-Nottingham Forest boss as Graham Potter's replacement in time for Everton showdown

Nuno, who left his position at Nottingham Forest earlier this month, will be in position to lead the Hammers at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday night, and that he will take his first training session this weekend. He has signed a three-year contract.

“I am very pleased to be here and very proud to be representing West Ham United. My objective is to work hard to get the very best from the team and ensure that we are as competitive as we possibly can be,” the 51-year-old told the club's website. 

"The work has already started and I am looking forward to the challenge that is ahead."

In a statement released earlier on Saturday, West Ham confirmed the immediate dismissal of Potter and his entire backroom staff, clearing the decks for Nuno and his lieutenants ahead of Monday's game. Potter took over from Julen Loptegui in January of this year, with the Hammers in 14th place. The club remained in that position come the end of the 2024-25 season, but failed to kick on under the Englishman's stewardship. West Ham are currently in 19th place in the Premier League table, and the club were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by fellow strugglers Wolves. 

Nuno's departure from the City Ground immediately turned up the pressure on any struggling Premier League manager, as the Portuguese was forced out of the club after a falling out with owner Evangelos Marinakis. The 51-year-old's stock is at an all-time high, after he marshalled Forest to a seventh-placed finish in the top tier last term while they flirted with Champions League qualification for much of the campaign. Ironically, the Portuguese's last game in charge of the club was a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Potter's West Ham at the City Ground, the Hammers only win of the young season. The managerial position at the City Ground was filled by former Tottenham and Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou. 

Aside from a brief and unhappy spell at Tottenham, Nuno has consistently delivered results in the Premier League. After leading Wolves to a Championship title in 2017-18, the Portuguese authored two seventh-placed finishes for the club, laying the foundations for Wolves to remain in the Premier League ever since. After saving Forest from the drop in 2023-24, he again led a side to a top-seven finish, giving the club their first a taste of European football in more than 30 years. 

The new Hammers manager will have very little time to get to know his side ahead of their trip to Everton on Monday. It only gets trickier from there, as the Hammers then travel to Arsenal next weekend before the international break. Those weeks off will give Nuno plenty of time to work with the bulk of his squad, while also installing his culture into the club ahead of a crucial run of games against likely fellow candidates for relegation Brentford and Leeds United.