Santo

West Ham’s “main priority” is bringing the club’s fans and players closer together, says new manager Nuno Espirito Santo but he knows there is “a lot of work” to do.

After recent protests, chants of “sack the board” could be heard during Monday’s 1-1 draw at Everton, Nuno’s first game in charge of the Hammers after replacing Graham Potter.

But, after Jarrod Bowen’s second-half equaliser had earned them a spirited point, the former Tottenham and Nottingham Forest boss took his players over to the travelling supporters at the end of the match in a show of unity and togetherness.

“What I think is important is to appreciate what our fans did traveling to Liverpool on a Monday night and giving the support they’ve given,” he said. “It’s our main priority to come closer to our fans.

“We have to deliver so they can appreciate the work of the boys. Moving forward it’s important.”

After beginning his tenure with a point on the road, Nuno said his players will “embrace the challenge”.

“I think the team competed well,” the Portuguese manager said. “It’s a tough, tough place to come, a very good team.

“Overall it was a good game, intense, both teams had chances. The message for us [to the players] is how we can compete now.”

Nuno said he has avoided making too many changes to West Ham’s tactics and is instead focusing on making incremental improvements.

“Simple, don’t change too many things,” he responded when asked about his approach. “When you arrive at a club it’s about slowly progressing and trying to find the right options and solutions. Now it’s how we can improve them.”

West Ham have appointed former Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo as head coach after sacking Graham Potter.

Nuno, 51, has signed a three-year contract with the Hammers and will take charge of his first match on Monday away at Everton in the Premier League.

Potter was dismissed on Saturday morning after only eight months in charge, with the club 19th in the table.

Nuno joins West Ham after being sacked on 9 September by Forest, who he guided to seventh in the Premier League last season – their highest finish since 1994-95.

“I am very pleased to be here and very proud to be representing West Ham United,” he said.

“My objective is to work hard to get the very best from the team and ensure that we are as competitive as we possibly can be. The work has already started and I am looking forward to the challenge that is ahead.”

Nuno joins West Ham shortly after a 21-month stint at the City Ground, where he was sacked only three games into this season.

He took his first training session in east London on Saturday afternoon before the club’s match at Everton on Monday.

West Ham said Nuno will be assisted in the interim by academy coaches Mark Robson, Steve Potts, Gerard Prenderville and Billy Lepine, with a further announcement on his coaching and backroom staff to be made in due course.

The Hammers took only three points from their opening five league games this season under Potter.

After dismissing the 50-year-old, West Ham said they believed “a change is necessary in order to help improve the team’s position in the Premier League as soon as possible”.

They added: “Results and performances over the course of the second half of last season and the start of the 2025-26 season have not matched expectations.”

In a statement via the League Managers Association, Potter said: “I am incredibly disappointed to be leaving West Ham, particularly without being able to achieve what we set out to achieve at the start of our journey in east London.

“I do, however, fully acknowledge that the results have just not been good enough up to now.”