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Next up for them is a relegation six-pointer at home to Sean Dyche’s Forest, who sit directly above them on the table in a fixture that could shape Nuno’s future.

A win against the club that sacked him in September after 21 months in charge might buy him some more time, but a defeat would deepen the crisis and amplify the questions over his position.

“Nobody expected us to play so bad,” Nuno added on BBC Match of the Day.

“Now is the moment for us to reflect and think are we doing everything we can? Do we realise the situation we are in? And how to get out of this situation and improve. There are things that need to be addressed.

“Forest will be a tough game, but now is about reacting and transforming and improving.”

The last side to avoid relegation after having less than West Ham‘s 14 points at this stage of the season were Eddie Howe’s Newcastle, who had just 12 after 20 games in 2021-22.

But they spent £85m in January to bolster their squad with Bruno Guimaraes, Chris Wood, Dan Burn, Kieran Trippier and Matt Targett and finished 11th with 49 points after winning 12 of their remaining 18 games.

Although West Ham are committed to backing the manager in the January window, it is highly unlikely Nuno will get the kind of financial support Howe received.

They have already signed Brazilian striker Pablo Felipe from Portuguese club Gil Vicente for a reported fee of 25m euros (£21.8m), and he was an unused substitute at Molineux, but have sent German forward Niclas Fullkrug to AC Milan on loan.

“It is a complex situation,” added Nuno, when asked about the club’s prospects in the transfer market.

“The club is working on that situation [of transfers]. We have problems in terms of squad and options but that is not a justification for what we did in the first half – the mistakes we made, the lack of effort… it was very bad.

“It was about mistakes we made over and over again that was really poor.”

West Ham‘s interest in Norway forward Jorgen Strand Larsen has cooled after discovering Wolves want £40m for the 25-year-old.

The Hammers are committed to bolstering Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad with striking reinforcements.

Larsen was at the top of their list of potential signings and Wolves boss Rob Edwards did not close the door on the Norway forward leaving Molineux next month following the 1-1 draw at Manchester United.

However, West Ham think the price Wolves are wanting for Strand Larsen, who only signed a new contract to 2030 in September, is too high. They are looking at alternatives, although it cannot be ruled out that their interest might be revived.

Newcastle had bids of £50m and £55m turned down in the summer, although since then Wolves have embarked on a calamitous season that looks certain to end in relegation back to the Championship.

“We will make the right call on every individual,” said Edwards.

“Only time will tell. It will be a club decision and I am sure there will be movement in and out because we want to make an impact in the month.”

West Ham, who drew 2-2 with Brighton at the London Stadium to close the gap on fourth-from-bottom Nottingham Forest to four points, are now looking elsewhere, with Crystal Palace front-man Eddie Nketiah believed to be of interest.

Nketiah has scored four goals in 19 appearances for Palace so far this season.

However, the 26-year-old former Arsenal player has only started twice in the Premier League, most recently in the 4-1 defeat at Leeds on 20 December.