West Ham’s next manager: Three candidates to replace Nuno Espirito Santo emerge after Premier League relegation

Nuno Espirito Santo is reportedly facing an uncertain future as West Ham United head coach following the club’s relegation from the Premier League.

Despite securing a 3-0 victory over Leeds United on the final weekend of the season, a 1-0 win for relegation-threatened rivals Tottenham Hotspur against Everton confirmed that the Hammers will drop down into the Championship for the first time since 2012.

Nuno steered West Ham to nine Premier League wins and a points total of 39 across his 33 games in charge, but the Hammers still went down with the highest points tally for a relegated team in 15 years.

The Portuguese penned a three-year contract when he arrived at the London Stadium in September 2025 following the dismissal of Graham Potter, who suffered defeat in five of his opening six games of the season.

However, multiple reports claim that West Ham’s hierarchy have now opened talks with Nuno to discuss his future at the club.

Sky Sports News claims that West Ham are able to terminate Nuno’s contract without compensation due to their relegation, while the 52-year-old is also able to walk away from his deal.

Bilic, Parker, O'Neil identified as potential Nuno replacements at West Ham

As things stand, Nuno is believed to be unsure whether he wishes to continue with West Ham in the Championship; he previously managed Wolverhampton Wanderers in the second tier and secured promotion as champions in 2018.

According to The Telegraph, there is support at West Ham for the return of Slaven Bilic, who played the club in the late 1990s before taking charge of 111 games as manager between 2015 and 2017.

Former midfielder Scott Parker, who recently departed his job at Burnley, is also said to have backing from members of the Hammers hierarchy, but it is currently unclear whether he would be interested in returning to the East London club.

Strasbourg’s Gary O'Neil, another former West Ham player who replaced Liam Rosenior as head coach of the Ligue 1 club in January, has also been monitored should Nuno leave the London Stadium.

A testing summer ahead for West Ham on and off the pitch

A significant summer of change could be on the cards for West Ham, with the club facing a potential £200m revenue collapse as a result of relegation.

In February, the Hammers revealed a staggering £104.2m loss for the previous financial year, and they are predicted to lose another large sum this term which could lead to several first-team player sales.

Captain Jarron Bowen has hinted at the possibility of staying at West Ham next season, but the likes of Mateus Fernandes - linked with Manchester United - Konstantinos Mavropanos, El Hadji Malick Diouf, Jean-Clair Todibo and Alphonse Areola are all facing uncertain futures at the club.