How Nuno Espirito Santo breathed new life into West Ham's fight to stay up | OneFootball

Fresh energy around the training ground, a change of heart and key arrivals have boosted Hammers in bid to climb out of relegation zone

West Ham looked to be heading for relegation after their 2-1 defeat at home to Nottingham Forest at the start of January.

But there was no such pressure internally, with the club retaining faith in Nuno, who vowed to keep fighting what at the time appeared to be a losing battle.

Eight games on and West Ham have lost just once in all competitions and are hot on the heels of Forest in their battle to climb out of the bottom three and beat the drop.

West Ham have given themselves a fighting chance of staying up after a run of one defeat in six Premier League games

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West Ham are still two points from safety but it has been an impressive last month and a half for the Hammers.

They have been vindicated for sticking by Nuno, who says his side are “almost getting there” as they seek to bridge the gap to Forest in 17th place.

Unwaveringly calm in the midst of the chaos, Nuno has redressed the balance of the West Ham squad after a busy January transfer window.

No Premier League team made more signings last month than West Ham, with Valentin ‘Taty’ Castellanos, Pablo Felipe, Adama Traore, Keiber Lamadrid and Axel Disasi all arriving as Nuno was backed with players he had personally recommended.

Castellanos has given West Ham presence up front. A focal point for Jarrod Bowen and the rejuvenated Crysencio Summerville to play off, while Disasi has kept two clean sheets in his first three appearances for the club since signing on loan from Chelsea on Deadline Day.

Taty Castellanos and other January signings have been key for West Ham

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Castellanos’ arrival in particular has helped Nuno evolve West Ham tactically, with the Portuguese coach able to play a more expansive counter-attacking style, akin to the system that brought him so much success at Forest last season.

Outgoings were also a priority for West Ham in January, with eight players leaving the club on loan or permanently.

Sources told Standard Sport last month that Nuno had grown increasingly withdrawn from players who were on the periphery of his squad as results began to slide over a difficult winter period.

However, with many of those players now having departed, there is understood to be fresh energy and impetus around the training ground with everyone pulling in the same direction.

Nuno has also offered a second chance to goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, who was previously out of favour, and the Dane has repaid his manager with a string of excellent performances.

Hermansen was close to leaving West Ham on loan in January, before the club decided to block any advances for the 25-year-old.

It is now clear that said decision was influenced by a change of heart from Nuno, who wanted to restore Hermansen as his first-choice to allow West Ham to play out from the back.

After careful work in the transfer window, a previously fractured dressing room has become a unifying force, with the addition of assistant coach Paco Jemez also providing an important voice for Nuno and his players.

With Liverpool and Manchester City to come in their next three games, West Ham must ensure they do not lose pace with their relegation rivals.

Belief, though, is streaming back at the London Stadium, and West Ham are the form team in this increasingly competitive relegation battle.