Dean Ashton sends clear warning to West Ham boss Nuno Santo | OneFootball

Dean Ashton has told Nuno Espirito Santo that he needs to make changes or else he will be under pressure at West Ham

Dean Ashton has issued a warning to Nuno Espírito Santo regarding his West Ham future after the team’s disappointing start to the season.

The Hammers went 2-0 ahead against Burnley in their opening league fixture, but were pulled back to 2-2 in the closing stages.

And Charlton Athletic earned a 2-1 victory away at the London Stadium last weekend, leaving the former Premier League side with just one point from a possible six.

West Ham are targeting automatic promotion back to the top flight at the first attempt, but have already lost ground to their rivals after just two fixtures.

It’s likely that the Irons will be active in the closing week of the transfer window, with the club already bringing in six new players.

The London outfit have until 1 September to complete any remaining business before the market shuts for the rest of the calendar year.

Nuno Espírito Santo issued West Ham warning

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Ashton has claimed that Espírito Santo will need to alter his style of play at West Ham, as they will need to become better suited to having a lot more of the ball if they want to succeed in the Championship.

The 42-year-old has urged his former club to target another midfielder and a centre-back in the final stages of the transfer window, but expects a difficult year regardless unless a change in style is worked on.

"I think West Ham are short in terms of quality, that's for sure,” said Ashton, via Talksport.

"Especially in terms of the midfield and at centre-back... they need strength at the back and certainly in midfield.

"For me, if you look at the teams that get promoted from the Championship, they tend to be possession-based teams.

"Nuno is not that manager.

“So, he's either going to have to change the way he likes his teams to play and make that work, or I think it's going to be a very difficult season.

"The pressure will mount so quickly from those supporters, who have shown their commitment with the amount of season tickets that they've sold, as they're expecting an exciting promotion push.

"It was very disappointing again at the weekend."

West Ham had 78 per cent of the possession in the defeat to Charlton last Saturday, and 54 per cent in the 2-2 draw against Burnley.

Espírito Santo has built his ideal style of play around counter-attacking football, but he did achieve promotion success with Wolves in 2018, so he knows how to get out of this division.

The Hammers face stiff competition in the battle for promotion this season, and results will need to improve quickly to avoid falling too far behind too quickly.

West Ham’s signings

West Ham sold both Crysencio Summerville and Mateus Fernandes early in the transfer window, but have since overseen six additions to the squad.

Arne Engels, Manor Solomon, Joel Veltman and Leiber Lamadrid have all moved to the London Stadium on a permanent basis.

Meanwhile, Joel Piroe and Divine Mukasa have both joined on loan from Leeds United and Manchester City, respectively.

West Ham return to action this evening with a trip to face Southampton in the second round of the EFL Cup in a 7.45pm kick-off.

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Nuno Espírito Santo’s Championship experience is valuable

Espírito Santo knows what the Championship is all about despite building most of his managerial career in the Premier League.

The Portuguese coach will know that this West Ham squad needs a bit more quality if they’re to have a strong chance of competing for automatic promotion.

The Hammers are likely to be busy in the final week of the window, and it would be surprising if one or two more additions weren’t made.

The 52-year-old will need to make some adjustments, but he should also be able to lean on having a quality side in order to help West Ham break down stern defences at this level.