The West Ham board was worried about how Nuno Espirito Santo treated a player.
It’s been a tough season for West Ham United, ending sadly with their relegation from the Premier League on the final day. The Hammers fought hard, beating Leeds United 3-0 on Sunday, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough because their local rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, also won their match against Everton.
Now, West Ham has a busy summer ahead as they prepare to play in the Championship. According to The Athletic, the club needs to raise £150 million by selling players to cover the big loss in income. Some players like Crysencio Summerville, Konstantinos Mavropanos, and Mateus Fernandes are already expected to leave.
There’s also a lot of talk about James Ward-Prowse, who spent the second half of the season on loan at Burnley, another team that got relegated. When Nuno Espirito Santo took over as manager, Ward-Prowse was told he wasn’t part of the plans and had to train alone until a transfer deal was made. The club’s board was worried about how harshly this was handled but felt they had to support their new manager.
Ward-Prowse wasn’t the only player pushed aside by Nuno. Before a big 3-0 loss to Wolves in January, Nuno had a disagreement with striker Callum Wilson and told him he could leave. But since Wilson was needed for that game, he had to play – and later scored a winning goal against Tottenham. This goal made the club block any January transfer offers for him, which may have helped avoid an even worse season.
Nuno also had a clash with defender Jean-Clair Todibo. After being taken off early in a 3-1 loss to Newcastle, Todibo told the manager he wouldn’t play for him again. He was left out of the next game against Leeds as a result.
West Ham made Nuno their highest-paid manager ever when they signed him to a three-year contract. But they included a clause that cuts his salary if the team is relegated and allows them to fire him without paying a fee if that happens. The club now faces some big choices as they plan for the future.