‘A moment of deep sadness’ – Espirito Santo on West Ham’s relegation to the Championship | OneFootball

West Ham head coach Nuno Espirito Santo says the club’s relegation from the Premier League is “a moment of deep sadness.”

The Hammers secured a 3-0 win against Leeds United, after goals from Taty Castellanos, Jarrod Bowen and Callum Wilson, but Tottenham’s 1-0 win over Everton was enough to send the east Londoners down to the second tier for the first time since 2012.

The 39 points accumulated by Santo’s side is the highest total to go down since Birmingham City and Blackpool in 2011, after they also were relegated with 39 points.

The Portuguese lamented how his side lost the opportunity to control their own fate.

“Yeah, it’s a moment of deep sadness for all of us at the club,” Santo said. “It was a tough day. We had a tough mission. We lost the privilege of deciding our own future. We lost this privilege. 

“We knew that it was not only up to us, we did our part of the job. It didn’t happen, so it’s a moment of deep sadness.”

Whether the 52-year-old will still be in charge of the east Londoners come next season is still up in the air, with Santo refusing to elaborate on the situation.

“If you ask me now about the past and the future and these things, it’s not the day. The day is to understand the moment of sadness of our fans, of ourselves, of the club, and apologise and thank them.

“More than apologise, thank them for all of the support they gave us through the season, the way we re-establish a good relationship here with our fans and respect them.