West Ham board of directors issues a message to fans and give an update on Nuno’s future after relegation from the Premier League.
There had been plenty of speculation over whether Nuno Espirito Santo would be sacked by West Ham, the club holding discussions and had reportedly lined up candidates to replace him.
Media outlets said the expectation was that he would leave after being called in for talks, The Guardian‘s sources claiming that club sources said it was unlikely that Nuno would want to remain, with their sources adding that co-owner and largest shareholder David Sullivan was opting more for a change.
BetVictor had Scott Parker (4/5) the favourite to replace Nuno should there be a sacking, while Slaven Bilic is at 3/1, Steve Cooper and Gary O’Neil at 8/1, and Craig Bellamy at 10/1.
A message to West Ham United supporters from the Board of Directors
— West Ham United (@WestHam) May 27, 2026
A statement from the West Ham board of directors read:
Dear supporters,
First of all, thank you for the magnificent backing you gave the team throughout Sunday’s match at London Stadium. The players responded by giving it their all but, sadly, the victory against Leeds United wasn’t enough to get us to safety.
Relegation is obviously not the outcome that anyone at West Ham United would have wanted when the Premier League season started last August. For every single person who is passionate about the Club, it hurts deeply and that feeling will sustain for some time.
As a Board we cannot shy away from the fact our season has not been good enough. We know you, the supporters, have backed the team constantly as always and your loyalty and commitment has not been matched by our final league position. We also understand the frustration that many of you feel about the direction the Club has headed in recent years.
Although relegation is not what any of us wanted, we now have to look forward. The Board must now review every aspect of the Club’s operation to ensure that when we return to the Premier League – hopefully in August 2027 – we are a better West Ham United in every way, on and off the pitch.
The football operation always has to be our first priority and the planning for next season started as soon as the final whistle sounded on Sunday. We held meetings with Head Coach Nuno Espírito Santo early this week and are pleased to confirm that he has expressed his continued commitment to the Club – as we have to him.
Nuno made it very clear that he is highly motivated for the challenge of guiding West Ham United back to the top flight at the first time of asking. That must be the unquestionable goal for next season. Nuno has spent one previous year in the EFL Championship and it was an outstanding success as he secured 99 points to win the title with Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2018.
While the ultimate outcome on Sunday was a painful one, the Board of Directors believe that there have been broader signs of improvement and progress in recent months, and we want Nuno to continue developing that progress.
A total of 25 points taken from our final 17 Premier League matches equated to 1.47 points per game – a ratio that would have resulted in a seventh-place finish across the full season. Furthermore, we feel the clear improvement in squad mentality and togetherness since January, leading to that upturn in performances and results, makes him the right man to lead us forward.
We know we must also take steps to repair the Club’s relationship with its fanbase. We want West Ham United to be a Club that listens to all of our supporters and communicates with them in a clear and transparent way. Our new Interim Chief Executive Officer, Karim Virani has met with the elected Fan Advisory Board (FAB) several times during his first weeks in the role.
We are committed to taking supporter feedback on board, and backing that up with real, significant actions – starting with reductions of up to 30% across all Season Ticket prices for next season. Full details will be shared directly with Season Ticket Holders and on our channels when the renewal window opens at 12noon today.
We will be arranging further meetings with the FAB over the summer so they can help us shape our immediate strategy for more off-field improvements. A lot more work will be going into this priority area and we will share regular updates with you.
We understand it has been a challenging and difficult time to be a West Ham United fan. And we know we have an immense responsibility to you and every supporter around the world to get this right.
Together, we will take the Club back to where it belongs. The hard work to do that has already started.
The West Ham United Board of Directors
Jarrod Bowen said in a post via social media: “It’s hard to post something like this when all you’re feeling is embarrassment and pain.
“I could write loads trying to explain where it all went wrong this season, but honestly what you deserve from me is an apology.
“Winning that trophy in Prague was the best night of my career. Sunday was the worst.
“We just weren’t good enough. Simple as that. And that’s why the season ended the way it did.
“To the fans, you didn’t let us down once. The support home and away never changed, even when things weren’t good enough from us on the pitch. We should have given you more. You deserved more.
“One thing I know about this club is that it has the desire and fight to bounce back from this. This club belongs in the Premier League and deserves to be back there as soon as possible.”
Here’s how social media users reacted after the West Ham board issues a message to fans and give an update on Nuno’s future after relegation…
@AllSportsView: If you listen to fans then you’ll know Sullivan, his kids and his latest lady escort are not welcome by fans of the football club. He should put his shares up for sale immediately. Until they’re sold they should not be seen at any matches. Let’s see if they listen.
@The_BoleynBoys: If Nuno wants to stay, I’m happy to have him. As for the board, complete and utter nonsense lol. Cherry picked 25 games when Nuno had a full season pretty much anyway. Don’t buy their crap. The news we all wanted still hasn’t arrived. DAVID SULLIVAN OUT
@danwestham1: Sullivan out would be a good first step to mending its fan base … i listen to the same crap for too long
@wwfcscott: West Ham keeping Nuno is a great move tbh. Think he’ll take them straight back up without an issue.
@HPwhufc: Change the badge and build a new ground then maybe we’ll talk about ‘rebuilding relationships’ 👍🏻
@Hammer_On_X: Nuno stays. Upto 30% off season tickets. Come on you Irons!! ⚒️
@BradWhiting94: If you actually want to repair the damage done with the fans, then get the Old badge back, make some attempt to get the stadium feeling like a football stadium not a soulless bowl. Get a recruitment network and stop relying on the same few agents.
@Hunty_S92: I don’t wanna sound too optimistic, but this is as refreshing, honest and encouraging as it could get for us at the moment in my opinion. Hopefully a step in the right direction and not just empty words and promises that we’ve been force fed over the last 16 years. ⚒️⚒️
@rickwhufc: The most sensible communication I’ve ever read from the board, about time. Nuno for me is definitely the right choice considering the alternatives available & now more than ever, with big player changes coming we need consistency, not another manager who takes 3mths to bed in
@RockCowboyPhil: Fine words but the club is rotten from top to bottom.. Sullivan has to go but who would want to buy a club that doesn’t even own its ground, we rent a soulless bowl that our supporters hate & is constantly voted the worst in the league.. we face huge debts & a mass exodus of players… you talk of promotion like it’s a foregone conclusion… we’ll be every clubs big day out next year.. positivity is always good but the reality is.. we were lied to, sold a dream, given a nightmare & are now living with the consequences
@Damo_84: Wrong decision for me, he’s had the majority of the season to keep us up and failed, strange team selections, tactics and questionable January signings and he doesn’t even have a back room team ⚒️🤦🏻 #whufc
@WrightyCOYI: Having time to think, I believe this is the best decision. Football wasn’t great and his team selection was questionable but we have to remember this wasn’t his team.
@robpatterson24: The club is nothing without the fans so a reduction in ST price for next season is certainly a good first step in resetting & rebuilding the relationship which is so badly strained right now. We call the club out when its done bad but we also should when it does good, like this
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