Nuno Espirito Santo arrived at West Ham United with a good reputation after he led Nottingham Forest to a seventh-place finish in the Premier League last season. He only lost his job at the City Ground at the start of this campaign due to a falling out with the club's hierarchy.
The Hammers were struggling under Graham Potter, but Nuno has been unable to turn their fortunes around. West Ham is currently 18th in the league, and just above them is Forest, who are ahead by six points.
Relegation is a real possibility for the Hammers, which would be a disaster for a club that promised so much when they chose to move from Upton Park to the London Stadium. If they are relegated, The Athletic has reported that "West Ham can dismiss Nuno Espirito Santo without compensation."
Nuno Espirito Santo will not have money worries
Nuno is contracted to West Ham until 2028, but he should already have enough money in the bank. He has managed four English teams and had a spell in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Ittihad.
It would be disastrous for his reputation as a manager if West Ham were relegated. It would be difficult for any team in English soccer's top flight to take a chance on him. He would probably have to go abroad, possibly back to Saudi Arabia.
Following his four-month stint at Tottenham Hotspur, Nuno led Al-Ittihad to winning the Saudi Pro League. This led to him being appointed the boss at Forest. He has also previously coached in Portugal with FC Porto and Rio Ave, as well as Valencia in Spain. Another European league could also be an option for Nuno.
There is still a lot of soccer to be played this season. There is still hope for West Ham after they recently had back-to-back wins when they defeated Tottenham and Sunderland. However, West Ham losing 3-2 to Chelsea last weekend brought the club back down to earth, especially as Nuno's side had a two-goal lead.
West Ham face Burnley in a real six-pointer this Saturday. The Hammers will be missing Jean Clair-Todibo, who was sent off against Chelsea. However, they have since recruited Axel Disasi on transfer deadline day from the Blues. Despite not playing first-team soccer this season, Disasi will need to hit the ground running if the Hammers are to avoid relegation.
If the Hammers are to survive relegation, then there is no reason that with a full pre-season and Nuno bringing in his own players, he cannot emulate the success he has had previously in the Premier League with Forest.