West Ham already have a player who thinks Nuno Espirito Santo is a ‘very good’ manager

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Nuno Espirito Santo has taken charge at West Ham United, and it appears he will already have the support of a key ally in the dressing room.

As reported by TBR Football, Nuno has been selected as Graham Potter’s successor at the London Stadium after his sacking was confirmed on Saturday morning.

It has been a dismal start to the season for West Ham, who have lost four of their first five Premier League games, and Nuno Espirito Santo is expected to be in the dugout against Everton on Monday.

He has previous top-flight coaching experience with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest, and one of his former players has now been reunited with him.

West Ham defender Max Kilman praises Nuno Espirito Santo

Max Kilman joined West Ham from Wolves in a £40million deal in July 2024, signing a seven-year contract.

The defender made 151 appearances at Molineux after making his debut in May 2019, and worked under Nuno for two years before his departure in the summer of 2021.

Nuno memorably led Wolves into the UEFA Europa League and to back-to-back seventh-placed finishes in the Premier League, and Kilman benefited from his hands-on coaching style.

Speaking in July 2019, the centre-back couldn’t speak highly enough of him.

“He’s [Nuno] been very good with me. He’s always wanting me to work harder and harder, so I guess I just need to keep going,” Kilman said.

The two men will once again strike up a bond at West Ham after the change in the hot seat.

West Ham have pressed the emergency button, Martin Keown says

Martin Keown believes Graham Potter was ultimately to blame for West Ham’s demise this season, but described the players as looking like “schoolboys” during matches.

Speaking on the BBC’s Football Focus, Keown said: “I watched them play Spurs a couple of weeks ago and you saw the set-pieces, they have conceded seven goals from set-pieces this season. It looked like a set of schoolboys out there, no real direction.

“Eventually that has to come back to the manager. We have talked about the 24% win percentage, it’s simply not good enough. When we look at the three promoted teams started really well, the emergency button has been pressed.

“They did it last year with [Julen] Lopetegui and they are doing it again. West Ham have to find the right manager.”