When it was put him that Nottingham Forest’s Premier League clash with West Ham United on Sunday could be something of a walkover, Nuno Espirito Santo was in no mood to write Graham Potter and co off so readily.
To quote one reporter, speaking in front of the former Wolves, Porto and Tottenham Hotspur boss, would a Hammers side enduring their latest in a never-ending series of existential crises represent a ‘gimme’?
No, Nuno Espirito Santo responded with typical bullishness.
West Ham United might have suffered the worst start in Premier League history after two matches – zero points and eleven goals conceded – but Graham Potter still has a handful of players capable of turning a game on its head in an instant.
Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta combined brilliantly against Wolves in midweek, for instance.
The former demonstrated supreme ‘quality’, at least that was the word Hammers legend Tony Gale used from his position in the commentary gantry, as Bowen’s fizzing cross was converted with a diving header Henrik Larsen would have been proud of.
Bowen remains arguably the most fearsome forward outside of the Premier League’s established elite. Give Brazil international Lucas Paqueta time and space – as Chelsea did last week when he lashed a thumping drive past Robert Sanchez – at your peril.
Nuno Espirito Santo highlights West Ham United dangermen Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta
While the West Ham faithful have grown beyond frustrated by James Ward-Prowse’s apparent refusal to even consider a forward pass, Nuno knows just how dangerous he can be too. Especially from set-piece situations.
Ward-Prowse played nine league matches under Nuno during his loan spell at Nottingham Forest in the first half of last season.
“No, just look at the squad of West Ham,” Nuno said when asked if the Forest fans could expect a comfortable three points in Sunday’s early kick-off. “The manager, Bowen, James, Paqueta, three central defenders…
“They have a very good team. It’s up to us to try and control [the game] and see if we can compete and play good, because I think we are improving our game.”
Graham Potter applauds Nottingham Forest’s rise under Nuno
When some supporters are aiming pops at Jarrod Bowen – even the captain came in for criticism from one particularly irate member of the travelling party at Molineux – it almost goes without saying that Paqueta, Ward-Prowse plus the error-strewn defensive trio of Jean-Clair Todibo, Max Kilman and Nayef Aguerd head to the banks of the Trent under considerable pressure to prove a point.
Forest, meanwhile, should be the ultimate inspiration for clubs in West Ham’s position.
The two-time European champions were loitering in 17th when their talismanic head coach was appointed in December 2023. Just seventeen months later, he took Forest into Europe for the first time in three decades.
No wonder the likes of Jason Cundy believe West Ham should be watching Nuno’s situation closely, albeit larger-than-life owner Evangelos Marinakis played down suggestions of a bitter parting of the waves on Friday.
“[Nottingham Forest] have done a brilliant job over the last few years,” Potter agrees. “They were almost ridiculed for spending a lot of money when they were promoted a couple of years ago, but I think they’ve proven that they know what they’re doing.
“I think what they’ve done has shown the gap between the Championship and the Premier League, in terms of how you have to invest in your team to compete, which they’re doing now. They stabilised, and then they had a brilliant season last year.
“Now, they’ve got a really powerful, well-organised team, with lots of talented individual players. So we know we’re in for a tough game on Sunday, but we’re looking forward to it.
