It is a question West Ham United head coach Nuno Espirito Santo is constantly asked and one to which his answer remains a secret.
Ahead of the club’s must-win game at Newcastle United on Sunday, West Ham remain in the relegation zone, two points behind 17th-place Tottenham Hotspur. Victory would lift Nuno’s side out of the bottom three, with their London rivals set to face Chelsea next Tuesday. If Spurs were to then lose at Stamford Bridge, West Ham’s Premier League fate would once again be in their own hands.
But if the east London club fails to retain their top-flight status, it could naturally have huge implications for Nuno’s future.
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Sources with knowledge of the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, say that the West Ham hierarchy would like Nuno to remain in the second tier if they do go down but that the manager is so far undecided whether he would remain at the helm in the event of relegation. The Portuguese, who signed a three-year deal when he succeeded Graham Potter in late September, can be sacked without compensation if the club is relegated, but sources say this is not something the club is considering.
“I’m going to be honest with you — I don’t have one second to think about next season,” Nuno said in his press conference before the narrow 1-0 loss to Arsenal. “It’s so demanding what we have and the challenge. I don’t have enough energy to think about what’s ahead. It’s tomorrow, then tomorrow, day by day. All the club, all the staff, the board, the players, the fans, we have our mission. It’s about Sunday and we just focus on Sunday.”
Premier League survival would also help bring much-needed clarity in the search for a director of football. Board members initially decided not to appoint one in December, so as to not disrupt Nuno’s first window as head coach. He is expected to have a big say in the appointment, with ex-vice chair Karren Brady previously interviewing candidates. But it would be a board decision if the club suffers relegation.
Despite the loss to Arsenal, West Ham were handed a much-needed lifeline in the form of Tottenham’s 1-1 draw with Leeds United on Monday evening. This Sunday, they face an out-of-form Newcastle side, who have won once in their last six league games. Nuno’s first victory as head coach was against Newcastle in November. It led to another victory against Burnley a few days later, and Nuno will hope history repeats itself and his side seal back-to-back wins once again.
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Not that staying up would immediately allay all the concerns of the fanbase.
“If West Ham get relegated it’s catastrophic, if we stay up it’s also catastrophic,” Andy Payne, the co-chair of West Ham’s fan advisory board tells The Athletic. “We will take a big hit on the TV revenue if we’re in the Championship, but I think most of our top players will leave whether we go down or not.
“Long-term, I see a world where Daniel Kretinsky (the joint-chair) buys out Sullivan. I think he’s been playing the long game. We need a complete reset because fans are falling out of love with the club.”
Clearly relegation would have a major financial impact on the club. West Ham’s TV money would half were they to go down, while commercial revenue and gate receipts would also take a hit.
In the event of relegation, sources say the club would currently expect to sell between four to five players this summer to cover that diminished income.
There would certainly be some players with plenty of offers. Mateus Fernandes, who joined in August from Southampton, has attracted interest from Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain. Crysencio Summerville’s form in the second half of the season has seen him win European suitors, too.
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Defender Konstantinos Mavropanos’ long-term future is also uncertain, but given his form, the club would be reluctant to sell the 28-year-old on the cheap. Some club insiders believe there is a possibility captain Jarrod Bowen, 29, could be persuaded to remain beyond the summer even in the event of relegation, but that they would also be open to potential big offers.
The Athletic previously reported the first-team squad have 50 per cent salary reduction clauses in their contracts. If West Ham went down, those not sold and still under contract would be asked to remain for one more season to help the club achieve promotion, with a view to avoiding the kind of high squad turnover the club worked through after their previous relegation in 2011. Sam Allardyce replaced Avram Grant as manager that summer, with 13 players leaving the club permanently, eight new players signing for the club, and another four arriving on loan.
But, as Nuno says, for now the primary focus is on these final two matches. The fight for survival has drawn support from Pep Guardiola, the Manchester City manager, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan. Former players Craig Dawson, who left in 2023, and Aaron Cresswell, who left last summer to join Stoke City, attended the loss to Arsenal to cheer on their ex-team-mates and went in the home changing room post-match. Nuno remains optimistic about West Ham’s chances but is aware of the important task at hand.
“We knew a while ago it would go down to the wire,” said Nuno in Friday’s press conference. “What we have to do is compete well against Newcastle, so we still have a chance. I hope the players stay focused, do their task and ignore the outside noise. I believe that is the best approach. Newcastle are a very good team and it’s going to be tough. But we are ready and we have belief.”
