West Ham player’s partner shares angry message to Nuno Espirito Santo about how he’s being treated
The partner of a West Ham United player who was relegated has spoken out about how manager Nuno Espirito Santo treated him. Nuno took over in September after Graham Potter was let go when the team was near the bottom of the league. West Ham had won just one and lost four of their first five Premier League games.
Goalkeeper Alphonse Areola didn’t play in the first four matches but made his season debut in a home loss to Crystal Palace. After that, he played the next 19 league games as Nuno slowly made West Ham tougher to beat. The team fought to stay in the league until the very last day but were relegated, even though they won their final game against Leeds United.
Areola then spent the last 14 games on the bench. He was dropped for the trip to Burnley in February after the team had two wins in three games, with Mads Hermansen taking his place and keeping it. After watching West Ham win their last match but still be relegated, Areola’s wife, Marrion, shared her feelings on Instagram Stories about both Nuno and the previous manager. She wrote, “From a trophy to relegation,” talking about their Conference League win in 2022-23 under David Moyes. She also said, “Thank you Potter for the start of the season and Nuno for the end.”
Marrion criticized how Areola was dropped at the season’s start without a clear reason, then came back to play 20 games, only to be told suddenly he wouldn’t start again, again with no clear explanation. She seemed to blame Nuno for Areola missing out on the France squad for the 2026 World Cup, which will take place soon in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. “And NO World Cup this year thank you coach Nuno,” she added.
Areola was part of the France team that won the World Cup in 2018, though he didn’t play. He was also in the squad that reached the final in 2022 but didn’t get on the field. After captain Hugo Lloris retired in 2022, the French coach Didier Deschamps chose other goalkeepers for the national team. Areola hasn’t been called up since September and has only played five times for France since his debut in 2018.