West Ham close in on Nuno Espirito Santo appointment hours after Potter sacking | OneFootball

West Ham United are closing in on the appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo as their new head coach, a few hours after Graham Potter was dismissed.

Potter was relieved of his duties on Saturday following a 2-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace that left the club 19th in the Premier League table with only three points from five games. His record of six wins in 25 matches proved insufficient to convince the board that he could turn results around.

Talks have since accelerated with Nuno, who is expected to take charge ahead of Monday’s trip to Everton. Slaven Bilic, another former West Ham manager, also held discussions but the hierarchy have turned their focus towards the Portuguese coach.

Nuno has been out of work since September after being sacked by Nottingham Forest only three matches into the current campaign.

He had guided Forest to a seventh-place finish last season, securing Europa League qualification after Crystal Palace’s expulsion from the tournament, but his relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis deteriorated over the summer.

The 51-year-old admitted in August that his daily contact with Marinakis had broken down and tensions also surfaced with Edu, the club’s new global head of football. That discord, combined with a run of poor results, brought his tenure to an abrupt end.

Despite the difficult exit, Nuno arrives with considerable Premier League experience, having also managed Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur.

West Ham’s board confirmed on Saturday that Potter and his entire coaching staff had departed, citing poor performances across the second half of last season and the start of this one. The statement said a change was necessary “to help improve the team’s position in the Premier League as soon as possible.”

Potter had replaced Julen Lopetegui in January on a two-and-a-half-year contract but was unable to halt the team’s slide. He won only five league games in the second half of last season as the Hammers finished 14th.

Supporters voiced frustration during the defeat to Palace, chanting for Potter’s dismissal, while a “vote of no confidence” letter from the fan advisory board underlined growing unrest off the pitch.

Nuno’s immediate challenge will be to stabilise a team that has conceded 13 goals in five league matches and faces a daunting run of fixtures. His appointment is expected to be confirmed in the coming days.