Nuno Espirito Santo says he wants to build a ‘West Ham way’ at the club | OneFootball

Nuno Espirito Santo says he is focused on creating an identity at the club after taking over from Graham Potter.

He is the third manager appointed at the Hammers in just over a year. Julen Lopetegui joined the east London side in May 2024 and was dismissed eight months later, before Graham Potter joined in January and also only lasted eight months.

Nuno Espírito Santo, the club’s latest boss, feels he needs to spend time at the club and fully immerse himself to understand the feeling of what the ‘West Ham way’ is.

“I’m trying to understand every day,” he said. “And every day they tell me about this. It’s not (just) about understanding. It goes much further. We have to feel it. So I need some time to feel it.

“I’m starting to understand it, but I really have to feel it. And after we really feel it, and I say after everybody feels it, if there’s a way, we have to put it inside of us. Does it make sense what I’m saying?

“And the understanding and the feeling takes some time. You cannot come here and say, look, this is the way. No, no, you have to feel it. You have to put it inside of you. What makes really the difference is the feeling, not only the understanding.

“Because you can understand things, you cannot agree, but a way, if you feel there is a way, it goes much further. You’re talking about the philosophy and identity. How far are we from that? It’s not enough to say, West Ham way. If there’s a way, let’s build it, let’s create it, let’s feel it. Let’s identify ourselves with that.”

Espirito Santo spoke deeply and at length about what this ‘way’ is, and how he can understand what it fundamentally means.

Even the manager who won them the Conference League was never universally loved by the home faithful. David Moyes’ style of play was often deemed too negative.

Asked whether Moyes’ style of pragmatic football is more emblematic of the West Ham way, Santo replied: “No, no, no, no. That’s what you keep saying… No. OK, let’s identity the West Ham way.

“OK, let’s put it here. There’s a style of play. What determines the style of play is not the coach. What determines the style of play is the squad. The squad determines the style of play. It’s not the coach.”

He has taken charge of one game so far, a 1-1 draw with Everton, and the Hammers now face Arsenal this weekend.