Nuno Espirito Santo may prove to be an inspired appointment at West Ham United but, as former England striker Darren Bent points out, hiring him was made a lot easier on the back of that Nottingham Forest sacking.
Because, although Sam Allardyce was left with a sour taste seeing Nuno put pen to paper on the very same day that Graham Potter’s departure was confirmed, the former Tottenham Hotspur, Wolves and Valencia coach felt like an opportunity too good to miss.
A proven Premier League tactician available to start work immediately. By the time vice-chair Karren Brady held talks with Nuno in mid-September, he had already been without a job for a couple of weeks.
That immediate availability undoubtedly appealed to a West Ham United board who could have done without engaging in lengthy negotiations for a manager currently under contract elsewhere. And that is without talking about any compensation fees or buy-out clauses.
Speaking to talkSPORT, the aforementioned Bent points out that the Hammers would have had a much tougher task had they looked to lure Oliver Glasner or Andoni Iraola away from Crystal Palace and AFC Bournemouth respectively.
Darren Bent says West Ham United could not hire Oliver Glasner or Andoni Iraola
Though much has been made of the fact that Glasner’s Crystal Palace contract expires next summer, Bent cannot envisage a world in which the FA Cup winner swaps European football at Selhurst Park for a potential relegation battle at the London Stadium.
Manchester United, though, is a different story.
Bent also feels that, if West Ham had contacted Iraola before tying Nuno down to a three-year contract, a coach who rejected Leeds while at Rayo Vallecano would not have been tempted even by a club with a much larger fanbase and greater tradition.
“Glasner has been fantastic at Palace,” says Bent, who scored over 100 Premier League goals for the likes of Sunderland, Spurs and Aston Villa.
“He might look at that opportunity [at Manchester United] and go, ‘do you know what?’ I think he would go.
What he’s doing at Palace is phenomenal. When I listen to him speak and his character, he looks like someone to me who would go, ‘I can sort this mess out’.
“Big clubs will attract [most managers]. Andoni Iraola has created a really good side at Bournemouth. He has turned players into superstars. If one of the big boys came in for him, he’s going.
“It’s got to be big. Put it this way, West Ham are bigger than Bournemouth, right? But he’s not leaving Bournemouth to go to West Ham. No way. And [I mean] no disrespect to West Ham because they are a bigger club than Bournemouth.
“What about Glasner? There is no way on the planet either of those managers are going to West Ham right now. No way. Where they are right now, there is no point.”
Nuno Espirito Santo sets out his plans at West Ham
Of course, West Ham will be hoping that they do not feel the need to glance in the direction of Glasner, Iraola and co any time soon. Nuno signed a deal until 2028 after a 2-1 home defeat by Crystal Palace proved to be the last act for Potter.
Presuming he sees out that contract, the Hammers should be in a much better place by the time Nuno rides off into the sunset, preferably three years from now.
Right now, though, Nuno’s focus is on creating a new-look West Ham on the training pitch. One capable of pushing up the table and racking up some much-needed victories.
“[In my first week] there has been a lot of new challenges, new things, changes. The international break is going to be very useful in terms of settling down the mind and focusing, but all the aspects of the game we have to address,” Nuno said after that 2-0 defeat by Arsenal.
“We spent hours and hours talking about what we have to address; to create unity more, more togetherness, knowledge on both sides. [We need] hard sessions on the training ground, trying to correct and improve the things that we do.
“Today, for example, it is hard to pick conclusions and really address and be truthful because we are frustrated. We are disappointed. But we were organised, compact, we improved slightly on our positioning in set-pieces against a tough opponent.
“At the same time, there is a lot of negatives, [especially] in possession. We lack a bit of mobility. But it was two tough opponents we faced away from home.”
