West Ham sign Wolves ace and £5m Nottingham Forest gem in predicted January rebuild as Potter successor named
West Ham boss Graham Potter is believed to be on the brink of losing his job
West Ham United have endured a disastrous start to the 2025/26 season and hope that Graham Potter can lead the team forward seems to be wearing thin with each passing week.
The Hammers are 19th after five matches, have one win in five matches, and have fallen to defeat on four occasions - all while conceding a league-high 13 goals whilst also crashing out of the Carabao Cup at the first hurdle. Of those four defeats, three have come in London derbies and all of those have occurred in front of their own supporters in a stadium which is starting to look like anything but a fortress in recent weeks.
Potter was given something of a benefit of the doubt last season after winning just five of his opening 19 matches across all competitions. He had after all inherited a team mid-season after a slow start under Julen Loptegui. However, were now 25 matches into his tenure after a full summer transfer window and he has a win percentage of just 24% - the lowest of any West Ham boss in Premier League history. Meanwhile, his points per game rate of 0.92 across that game when translated over a 38 game season, equals around 35 points, which would barely be enough to survive in the Premier League in most seasons.
West Ham are at a crossroads and many names have been touted as potential replacements for Potter such as Nuno Espirito Santo, Gary O’Neil and Slaven Bilic. But who does AI expect them to go for and how might the new manager look to rebuild the team in the winter window? Here’s all you need to know.
Nuno Espirito Santo tipped to make swift Premier League return
Former Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo is the front-runner to be the new West Ham boss, according to X’s Grok tool. The Portuguese coach became the first manager since Frank Clark to lead Nottingham Forest to Europe after a seventh place finish last season - ending a 28-year-wait for European football.
He inherited The Reds in a very similar situation to what he’s likely to find West Ham in. Forest were 17th in December 2023, five points clear of safety, with only one win in their last 13 matches. They sat just five points ahead of Luton Town at the time and despite having a four point deduction stayed up by four points.
Most expected Forest to struggle again the next season but instead they climbed 10 places and picked up more than double the amount of points. Chris Wood turned into a man possessed with 20 league goals while shrewd signings such as Matz Sels, Nikola Milenković and Elliott Anderson had a powerful effect on the team. Santo’s only downfall in his first full season was the failure to secure Champions League football after a late collapse in form. And it’s fair to say that his dismal was more down to his spiralling relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis than results on the pitch.
Overall, it’s an appointment that could make a lot of sense, though it could be seen as a return to a style that was quite commonly associated with former boss David Moyes as opposed to a more exciting brand of football.
How could Nuno Espirito Santo rebuild West Ham if appointed?
If West Ham were to appoint Nuno Espirito Santo then it’s likely that they’d look to sign another striker. Grok believes one name they may consider is AC Milan forward Santiago Gimenez.
The Mexican was prolific at Feyenoord with 65 goals and 14 assists in 105 matches but has struggled to find the net on a regular basis since moving to AC Milan in January 2025. The 24-year-old has an overall record of six goals in 24 matches since moving to the San Siro but could be a difficult one to attract as he plays most weeks under Massimo Allegri.
Elsewhere, Wolves ace Joao Gomes is considered a suitable midfield target due to his excellent tenacity, aggression, work rate and ability to dictate the midfield battle. Gomes joined the Old Gold after Nuno’s exit but is very much the type of player that he values in his teams.
Grok also suggests that a reunion with Callum Hudson-Odoi could potentially be on the cards. The former Chelsea man rejuvenated his career working under Nuno at the City Ground and could bring greater balance to West Ham’s team which is largely reliant on Jarrod Bowen’s output from the right. Hudson-Odoi started Ange Postecoglou’s first match against Arsenal but was named on the subs bench for the more recent outing against Burnley. He’s got the opportunity to play in Europe but could potentially be swayed away if he drops down the pecking order.