Jarrod Bowen reveals how West Ham’s dressing room already feel about Nuno Espirito Santo

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Jarrod Bowen has praised Nuno Espirito Santo’s early work at West Ham and isn’t ruling out a surprise push for Europe.

Nuno replaced Graham Potter at the London Stadium in September after a poor start to the season, and the former Nottingham Forest boss appears to have quickly steadied the ship.

His side drew 1-1 at Everton in his opening game in charge before losing 2-0 against Arsenal, but both performances were a step up from Potter’s dismal final days at the helm.

Jarrod Bowen says that while there is still plenty of work to do, including adapting to Nuno’s approach, the newfound energy and belief will make a big difference in their survival fight.

Jarrod Bowen excited to work with Nuno Espirito Santo

Writing in his programme notes ahead of West Ham’s crucial Premier League match against Brentford on Monday night, the club captain wrote: “We feel confident in what the head coach is trying to do and how we’ve adapted to it in such a short amount of time.

“Nuno’s teams have always been really, really difficult to play against. I remember playing against his Wolves team in the Championship when I was at Hull, and they walked the league that season.

“What he’s done since then, he’s had some really good success, most recently at Nottingham Forest, getting them into Europe, and that’s where we want to be.

“It might seem a million miles away to some people, but I really don’t think it is. 

“A couple of results changes the mood, changes the dynamic, changes the energy and the feel, so we’re really excited to work with him.”

Nuno will lead his players out at home for the very first time against Brentford, hoping to pick up his first three-point haul at his new club.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s pre-Brentford rallying cry

Chris Sutton warned Nuno’s style could frustrate supporters, but the manager has asked the 60,000-strong crowd to give it their all as the hosts look for a morale-boosting win.

“I’m looking forward to my first home game!” said Nuno. “For me, it’s very hard to analyse what’s happened before. It’s very hard and actually it’s not fair to do it.

“What I’m doing is trying to improve, and realising that the home factor is really important. We want to change things, and help our home become a real fortress.

“Like I’ve said before, I think it’s up to us to get closer to the fans, and give them a reason to support and help us. I hope that all our fans join us and help us against Brentford. It’s going to be a tough game.”