West Ham's 3 realistic candidates to replace Nuno Espirito Santo after sack chants at Wolves

West Ham are on the rocks, and patience already appears to be running out when it comes to Nuno Espirito Santo. Santo was brought in to bring discipline and solidity to this Iron side, but he has so far struggled in similar fashion to his two predecessors, Julen Lopetegui and Graham Potter.

Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to a Wolves side that had previously not won any of their first 19 Premier League games of the season was an abject display. The Iron looked devoid of discipline, and it’s a concerning sign when the team looks like the antithesis of what the manager was brought in to offer.

Some West Ham fans were heard calling for Santo to be sacked during the Molineux nightmare, and pressure is certainly building as the Iron begin to run out of points and games. With 18 games remaining, West Ham are four points behind a slowly improving Nottingham Forest side, who are likely to become hard to beat under Sean Dyche, and as many as seven points behind next highest Leeds United having played a game more.

It’s getting tough to see who West Ham can realistically catch if they are going to stay up, barring a sudden run of form, and some behind closed doors at the Hammers may feel the only play remaining to them is a sacking and a new appointment in a bid to spark something.

If Santo does go, who are the likely candidates for the job? Here we take a look.

Slaven Bilic

If West Ham are to stay up, it’s unlikely they will do so by playing free-flowing, attacking football. This team needs to be disciplined and hard to beat, and if Santo can’t offer that, it seems West Ham could turn back to former boss Slaven Bilic.

Bilic is well-remembered by most at West Ham having guided them to Europe in his first spell at the club as manager, and he is the clear favourite to return should the post open up. Bilic has been out of work since his time at Al-Fateh ended in 2024.

Michael Carrick

Michael Carrick is the next likely candidate, though he would be a risky appointment. Carrick may know what it takes to succeed as a player in this league, but he has never done it as a manager, and that’s a big swing for the Hammers to make in their current predicament.

Carrick’s only full-time management post came at Middlesbrough, and he was sacked after missing out on the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. It’s not necessarily an indictment on Carrick, but Boro have improved since his departure, currently in third place and chasing automatic promotion.

Gary O’Neill

The only other realistic option, barring a left-field appointment, would be former Wolves boss Gary O’Neil, who has been linked with a fair few jobs over recent months. O’Neil left Wolves in 2024 after just over a year in charge. He guided Wolves to safety after taking over on the eve of his first season in charge and then struggled to get off the ground in the second season.

Though, the West Midlands side have been trending down for some time, pointing to systematic issues at the club. Before Wolves, O’Neil had a spell at AFC Bournemouth, doing respectably and guiding them to safety before the Cherries had - and took - the opportunity to appoint Andoni Iraola. O’Neil has guided two teams to safe finishes in the past, but he may be seen as a risky appointment given West Ham’s need for an instant impact.

Your next West Ham read, The new West Ham XI that could stop relegation if rumours are true