West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo is already making his squad preferences crystal clear after replacing Graham Potter nearly a fortnight ago.
Nuno tasked with transforming West Ham as key decisions already made
Nuno arrived with fairly high expectations after a fairytale campaign at Nottingham Forest last season, with vice-chairman Karren Brady apparently a key driving force behind the appointment and the Portuguese’s long-term three-year deal (Alex Crook).
Tasked with stabilizing the team and pushing West Ham closer to European qualification spots than the relegation zone, Nuno has sought to imprint his style on the squad very quickly.
West Ham’s results in the Premier League so far
Sunderland 3-0 West Ham
West Ham 1-5 Chelsea
Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham
West Ham 0-3 Tottenham
West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace
Everton 1-1 West Ham
Arsenal 2-0 West Ham
West Ham’s leaky defence, which has been a major weakness this season, particularly from set pieces, has already showed small glimpses of improvement under his guidance.
A torrid seven of their 16 Premier League goals conceded so far this season have come directly from corners, and it is absolutely imperative that Nuno fixes this glaring dead ball issue if West Ham are to avoid a drop back down to the Championship.
One of the tactician’s most notable and controversial decisions after his arrival was the exclusion of vice captain James Ward-Prowse from the first-team squad.
This move, which happened almost immediately after his first training session at Rush Green on the Saturday of Potter’s dismissal, signaled his clear intent to reshape the midfield and prioritize players who Nuno believes will fit his tactical blueprint.
Fabrizio Romano, among other reliable media sources, reports that Ward-Prowse could leave West Ham in January and other squad members, depending on Nuno’s assessment, could follow the 30-year-old.
“Ward-Prowse is one of them, as he could leave the club,” Romano said in a GiveMeSport newsletter last week.
“For others, it is still early, assessing options ahead of decisions.”
Over the coming weeks, Nuno’s axe will likely swing again, and it is believed that fellow midfielder Guido Rodriguez could be its next victim.
The Argentine is yet to play a single minute under Nuno, featuring on the bench as an unused substitute against Everton and Arsenal, with West Ham apparently keen to offload him.
Guido Rodriguez refusing to leave West Ham after Saudi offer rejected
As per insider Claret & Hugh, who report that the player isn’t in Nuno’s plans, the East Londoners are having trouble when it comes to selling Rodriguez, coming after they signed the World Cup winner from Real Betis in 2024.
C&H, quoting an agent, relay that Rodriguez rejected a big-money Saudi offer to leave West Ham in the summer alongside four other approaches, with the 31-year-old happy to stay put.
“Rodriguez had five interested clubs in the summer but didn’t want to move,” the agent said.
“One offer from Saudi would have given him an extra £30k per week, but he said no.”
Sharing a further quote from one of their inside sources, West Ham’s recruitment has been described as a “real mess”, and this situation with Rodriguez perhaps emphasises their struggle to make any money back off players.
“They’ll have to move players on, but you can’t force someone out if he doesn’t want to go,” claimed the source.
“Their recruitment has been a real mess. They hardly ever make a profit on players.”
Rodriguez has made 26 total appearances for West Ham since his move from La Liga, and he’s been regularly linked with an exit since, including just a few months after his arrival at Rush Green.
This one can definitely be chalked off as yet another blunder from the Hammers recruitment team, but luckily for West Ham, any fee would count as pure profit considering he signed as a free agent.
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