"West Ham didn't get unlucky? They deserved relegation!" Despite Rooney's harsh criticism... club confirms Nuno Espírito Santo will remain as manager

*This content was translated by AI.

West Ham, relegated from the English Premier League (EPL), has decided to retain Nuno Espírito Santo (52) as manager.

On the 27th (Korea time), West Ham officially announced that despite being relegated to the English Championship (second division) for the next season, they will continue with Nuno Espírito Santo as manager without making any changes.

On the 25th, West Ham defeated Leeds United 3-0 in the final match of the 38th round of the 2025-2026 EPL season. However, on the same day, 17th-place Tottenham beat Everton to secure their survival, leaving 18th-place West Ham to face the bitter reality of relegation to the second division for the first time in 14 years.

Despite the painful result, West Ham expressed firm confidence in manager Nuno Espírito Santo. In a statement, the club said, "Immediately after the final whistle of the last match, we began planning for the next season. We met with manager Nuno early this week, and he showed strong motivation to achieve immediate promotion back to the first division."

West Ham then provided specific reasons for retaining manager Nuno. The club stated, "Manager Nuno previously led Wolverhampton to win the English Championship (second division) with 99 points in 2018. He recently secured 25 points in 17 matches, which would equate to a seventh-place finish over a full season. With the team's cohesion having strengthened since January, we judged him to be the right person to lead the team."

Amidst this, painful self-reflection and criticism poured in from within and outside the team. Captain Jarrod Bowen, via his social media (SNS), said, "It is shameful and painful. Instead of making feeble excuses, I apologize to the fans. The night in Prague when we lifted the UEFA Conference League trophy was the best, but Sunday's match was the worst. We simply lacked the ability."

EPL legend Wayne Rooney also strongly criticized West Ham players for their lack of fighting spirit. Rooney stated, "You cannot use the excuse of bad luck after playing 38 matches. They deserved to be relegated." He added, "The defense was unstable, the attacking power was weak, and player acquisitions over the past few years were the worst. Ultimately, the problems at the club's leadership level affected the players on the field."

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.