Work is underway to assemble Nuno Espirito Santo’s coaching team. It is thought the Hammers’ new head coach will have his appointments finalised within the next couple of weeks.
It is still only a matter of days since the former Nottingham Forest and Wolves boss arrived at West Ham, taking over from the departing Graham Potter. When West Ham played Everton on Monday night, Nuno had academy coaches Mark Robson, Steve Potts, Gerard Prenderville and Billy Lepine alongside him watching on.
The new Hammers boss is set to appoint his own backroom team, but for the time being he is building a good rapport with the club’s academy coaches, so there is no urgent need to bring in replacements straight away.
Nuno’s tenure has begun on a positive note with that much needed point away against Everton. That being said, the new Hammers boss will certainly have his work cut out on the training pitch over the coming weeks.
Adding more organisation from set pieces and creating a more solid defensive unit will be his first and most pressing task. Six games into the Premier League season, the Hammers have already conceded 14 goals, eight of which have come from set pieces, a truly damning statistic which must be addressed swiftly.
Teams managed by Nuno are known for being well organised at the back, take his Nottingham Forest side where conceding goals from corners was certainly not an issue in the early months of last season.
It’s an incredibly tough test for West Ham next as they face title chasing Arsenal. The Hammers can certainly take some confidence going into this weekend’s clash, not only from their hard earned point against Everton but also from a couple of positive trips to the Emirates in recent years.
That being said, Nuno has only been in the job since late last week, and building more solidity at the back will take time. With the Hammers defensive frailties in mind, and Arsenal’s exceptional strength from set pieces, Hammers fans may well have their hearts in their mouths at every cross that goes into the box this weekend.
