How Nuno Espirito Santo's stunning £308m new West Ham side could look if he raids former clubs in January

The West Ham United news which has been coming for some time duly arrived on Saturday, as Graham Potter was sacked as Hammers manager after a miserable start to the new Premier League season.

With one solitary victory at Nottingham Forest and four defeats, including three humiliating London derbies at the London Stadium which ended with an aggregate score of 10-2, Potter was unable to get anywhere near the best out of his squad in his eight months in charge and left the club with the east London side sleepwalking towards a costly relegation battle. Heavy speculation followed over who should be his successor.

David Sullivan and the West Ham hierarchy wasted little time - just a few hours - as they appointed Nuno Espirito Santo as their new head coach the very same day on Saturday. The former Wolves and Nottingham Forest boss has forged a successful career for himself as a Premier League manager and has been chosen as the right man to ensure the Hammers avoid relegation this season. But he will have a lot of work to do.

Nuno’s £307.6m West Ham side if he raids former clubs in January

Nuno is known as a head coach who can get the best out of his players and create a strong defensive unit capable of breaking with pace and devastating opponents. He will know that there are deficiencies in this current West Ham squad, though, and may decide to raid his former employers in January to secure some potentially game-changing signings - creating a formidable new starting XI which could cause a massive stir.

GK - Mads Hermansen: Signed for £20 million from relegated Leicester City in the summer, Hermansen is still finding his feet and may still be recovering from a difficult campaign with his former club. He is viewed as a goalkeeper with potential, and West Ham will look to see through their investment in the Dane.

RB - Aaron Wan-Bissaka: The Hammers’ Player of the Year last season has spent time injured in recent weeks, with Kyle Walker-Peters filling in. The DR Congo international will aim to return to the side under Nuno when he is fit.

CB - Max Kilman: Formerly a Wolves player under Nuno, Hammers £40m signing Kilman has struggled to repay his transfer fee as of yet but will hope to return to form under his former manager.

CB - Morato: Nuno may look to raid Forest for Brazilian defender Morato. The 24-year-old signed from Benfica last summer for £12.6m but has found himself as understudy to impressive duo Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic. Forest have also signed 20-year old prospect Jair Cunha from Botafogo and Morato may be tempted by the idea of moving to east London, to join back up with the manager who brought him to England.

LB - El-Hadji Malick Diouf: The 20-year-old signed for the Hammers in the summer and has already assisted three of their five league goals, demonstrating his crossing ability from the left.

Nuno adds former Wolves stars in new-look West Ham attack

CM - Ruben Neves: This may appear an ambitious move and he admittedly does not currently play for a former Nuno side, following his £47m move from Wolves to Al-Hilal in 2023. But Neves was Wolves captain under Nuno and the pair shared unforgettable moments, from winning the Championship title to reaching the Europa League. It would be difficult to convince the 28-year-old to join a West Ham relegation battle, amidst rumours he may return to the Premier League. But if anyone can, Nuno can.

CM - Mateus Fernandes: Starting alongside the experience of Neves is the youth of his fellow Portuguese Fernandes, who signed for £42m from Southampton in the summer. Hammers fans will hope the 21-year-old can live up to his potential and to that hefty transfer fee.

RW - Jarrod Bowen: West Ham captain Bowen is a credit to the club in many respects, including how he has ignored links elsewhere and continued to be prolific in front of goal. He has 58 Premier League goals for the Hammers, and counting.

CAM - Lucas Paqueta: Now cleared of spot-fixing charges, Paqueta decided to remain at the London Stadium despite transfer links in the summer. If Nuno can get him playing, the £51m man will be a major asset.

LW - Crysencio Summerville: The 23-year-old is still finding his feet at West Ham following injury issues last season. His pace on the counter-attack could perfectly fit Nuno’s style of play, with the likes of Paqueta and Neves playing incisive balls over the top of the defence.

ST - Hwang Hee-chan: Considering Nuno has previously liked to play with a target man such as Chris Wood or Raul Jimenez up front, this may appear a left-field move. But he already has such an option at West Ham in the shape of Niclas Fullkrug, while Callum Wilson has been brought in to provide competition. Neither striker appears able to start every week at present, and they may require a third option who offers something completely different.

It would certainly be something new for West Ham fans to see Wolves £14m man Hwang, who was recently linked with a summer move to Crystal Palace due to a lack of game time, start up front in a fluid front three, interchanging positions with Bowen and Summerville as they tie defenders in knots. But is that not just the type of attacking football Hammers fans say they love?