West Ham issue statement on Nuno Espirito Santo after crunch meeting over relegation from Premier League

West Ham have moved to clarify the future of Nuno, confirming in an official statement that he will remain in the dugout for the 2026-27 season. Despite finishing 18th in the Premier League, the board have decided to keep faith in the Portuguese tactician following a high-level meeting held earlier this week. The decision comes after a season of struggle at the London Stadium, but the club hierarchy believes the 52-year-old has shown enough improvement during the second half of the campaign to lead a promotion charge.

The statement reads: "Relegation is obviously not the outcome that anyone at West Ham United would have wanted when the Premier League season started last August. For every single person who is passionate about the Club, it hurts deeply and that feeling will sustain for some time. As a Board we cannot shy away from the fact our season has not been good enough. We know you, the supporters, have backed the team constantly as always and your loyalty and commitment has not been matched by our final league position. We also understand the frustration that many of you feel about the direction the Club has headed in recent years.

"Although relegation is not what any of us wanted, we now have to look forward. The Board must now review every aspect of the Club’s operation to ensure that when we return to the Premier League – hopefully in August 2027 – we are a better West Ham United in every way, on and off the pitch. The football operation always has to be our first priority and the planning for next season started as soon as the final whistle sounded on Sunday. We held meetings with Head Coach Nuno Espírito Santo early this week and are pleased to confirm that he has expressed his continued commitment to the Club – as we have to him."

In their explanation for the decision, the West Ham board highlighted a significant upturn in form since the turn of the year. The club pointed out that their points-per-game ratio during the final 17 matches of the season would have traditionally been enough to secure a top-half finish, suggesting that the team was finally finding its identity under Nuno's guidance.

The official message added: "Nuno made it very clear that he is highly motivated for the challenge of guiding West Ham United back to the top flight at the first time of asking. That must be the unquestionable goal for next season. Nuno has spent one previous year in the EFL Championship and it was an outstanding success as he secured 99 points to win the title with Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2018.

"While the ultimate outcome on Sunday was a painful one, the Board of Directors believe that there have been broader signs of improvement and progress in recent months, and we want Nuno to continue developing that progress. A total of 25 points taken from our final 17 Premier League matches equated to 1.47 points per game - a ratio that would have resulted in a seventh-place finish across the full season. Furthermore, we feel the clear improvement in squad mentality and togetherness since January, leading to that upturn in performances and results, makes him the right man to lead us forward."

West Ham also confirmed that they will be reducing season ticket prices for next season as they begin their Championship journey. The statement said: "We know we must also take steps to repair the Club’s relationship with its fanbase. We want West Ham United to be a Club that listens to all of our supporters and communicates with them in a clear and transparent way. Our new Interim Chief Executive Officer, Karim Virani has met with the elected Fan Advisory Board (FAB) several times during his first weeks in the role.

"We are committed to taking supporter feedback on board, and backing that up with real, significant actions – starting with reductions of up to 30% across all Season Ticket prices for next season.

"We understand it has been a challenging and difficult time to be a West Ham United fan. And we know we have an immense responsibility to you and every supporter around the world to get this right. Together, we will take the Club back to where it belongs. The hard work to do that has already started."

While the club has presented a united front in the statement, a talkSPORT report suggests there was some internal debate among the ownership. It is understood that Daniel Kretinsky, the club’s second-largest shareholder, was a primary advocate for continuity, while David Sullivan was initially more open to making a change in the dugout to spark a fresh start.

Despite these differing views, Nuno has expressed his continued commitment to the project and remains highly motivated to correct the disappointment of the current campaign.