Nuno to stay on at West Ham
Nuno Espirito Santo will remain West Ham head coach in the Championship next season.
West Ham was relegated from the Premier League for the first time in 14 years on Monday, despite a 3-0 win over Leeds United, due to Tottenham's victory over Everton.
As such, Nuno met with the club's senior management on to discuss his future in the wake of its drop to the second tier.
Nuno signed a three-year contract after replacing Graham Potter in September, with both the club and the Portuguese reportedly having the option to walk away from each other for free after relegation.
However, the two parties have decided not to part ways, with the hopes that Nuno can lead them back to the Premier League.
"The planning for next season started as soon as the final whistle sounded on Sunday," a West Ham statement read. "We held meetings with head coach Nuno Espirito Santo early this week and are pleased to confirm that he has expressed his continued commitment to the club – as we have to him.
"Nuno made it very clear that he is highly motivated for the challenge of guiding West Ham United back to the top-flight at the first time of asking. That must be the unquestionable goal for next season.
"Nuno has spent one previous year in the EFL Championship, and it was an outstanding success as he secured 99 points to win the title with Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2018.
"While the ultimate outcome on Sunday was a painful one, the Board of Directors believe that there have been broader signs of improvement and progress in recent months, and we want Nuno to continue developing that progress."
West Ham finished two points adrift of Spurs in the Premier League, with their tally of 39 points the most by a side to go down since both Birmingham City and Blackpool were relegated with 39 in 2010-11.
The Hammers won just one of their last four matches (L3), after a run of just one defeat in six beforehand.
Had only results from Nuno's first game in charge on 29 September 29 this season counted, West Ham would have finished 16th in the Premier League with 36 points (W9 D9 L15).
"A total of 25 points taken from our final 17 Premier League matches equated to 1.47 points per game – a ratio that would have resulted in a 7th place finish across the total season," the statement read.
"Furthermore, we feel the clear improvement in squad mentality and togetherness since January, leading to that upturn in performances and results, makes him the right man to lead us forward."
