This week, Football Insider reported that West Ham have held preliminary talks with Rob Edwards in case they decide to part ways with Nuno Espírito Santo. The report says Edwards has already turned down an approach from Burnley and that Crystal Palace are interested as well. It describes West Ham’s move as a precaution. Something just seemed off about the story, and it just doesn’t fit with the narrative the club has pushed since June.
Daniel Křetínský, Interim CEO Karim Virani, recruitment director Nils Koppen and the rest of the board are all behind Nuno for the season. A source close to the situation tells The Hammer Times they believe he is the man to get West Ham promoted, and that commitment hasn’t moved since Nuno sat down with Křetínský after last season.
“Internally nothing has changed as far as the manager is concerned,” the source said. “The board still believes Nuno will achieve promotion; those are the expectations that were set for this season.”
When West Ham went down, David Sullivan, then club chairman, reportedly summoned Nuno to his Essex mansion, and the manager left that meeting believing his time was up. Sullivan made clear how disappointed he was in the season and said he regretted letting his advisors talk him into the appointment. Then power shifted. Křetínský pushed for continuity, and Nuno was asked to stay.
Sullivan resigned from the board in June, but sources say that each day he is more vocal. He is not on the board, so he doesn’t have influence on club decisions, but his shareholding still gives him an opportunity to be heard. Under the deal that is expected to give Křetínský 46 percent, Sullivan would hold about 40 percent. The two sit close enough that Sullivan is still hard to ignore. Sullivan does not believe Nuno is the right man to get West Ham promoted and wants a change, and he has said so to Virani, whose hiring he had a hand in. “Sullivan is still an owner. So when he speaks, everyone listens,” the source said. “That hasn’t changed.”
After the relegation meeting, it was reported that Křetínský was the main advocate for keeping Nuno, while Sullivan wanted him out. Scott Parker was reported to be Sullivan’s preferred option if a vacancy opened up.
Where did the Rob Edwards link come from?
When asked about the article published on Football Insider, the source indicated it would not have come from talking to anyone at the club’s executive or management levels. “I think you can take a guess where something like that might have come from,” the source said. The implication is that Sullivan or people close to him reached out to managers to gauge interest, then put those options in front of the board and Křetínský. It’s important to note the source did not confirm that.
The timing makes it easy to see why the story would suit someone. West Ham lost at home to Southampton last weekend and sit third in the Championship. A new name linked with the job, in a week when results have slipped, builds pressure on Nuno without anyone needing to say a word.
Supporters have protested Sullivan’s role in the club for some time. In June, Sullivan reportedly turned down an offer from Amanda Staveley for his shares, and he increased his stake after her bid for Vanessa Gold’s holding. Gold’s shares ended up with existing shareholders, with Křetínský taking the largest part, because of the club’s pre-emption rules. The source also confirmed that the board is putting finishing touches on a new ownership structure that gives Sullivan more shares. Once that is finalized, it would end any question of a clean break and keep him close to the decisions the club makes.
None of this means Nuno’s job is safe. His contract reportedly allows West Ham to dismiss him without paying compensation, and a poor run would test any manager. But the board’s position is clear: they back him, and the story that suggests otherwise didn’t come from inside that room.
The real question is whether Sullivan’s influence is strong enough to turn an unwelcome headline into a decision. For now, the people who run the club aren’t going for it.
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