What Slaven Bilic has said about West Ham return as club 'consider' Nuno Espirito Santo sack

West Ham are reportedly considering sacking Nuno Espirito Santo just two months after his appointment at the London Stadium with the club languishing in the Premier League relegation zone.

A late defeat to Fulham on Saturday means that the Hammers are now five points adrift from safety with just three wins on the board this term. Nuno had achieved two of those in November, against Newcastle United and Burnley, but his team is now without a victory in seven matches.

West Ham face a make or break run of fixtures over the New Year and through January. Brighton visit the London Stadium on December 30 before West Ham then travel to Wolves and then host Nottingham Forest.

West Ham to ‘consider’ Nuno sacking over vital New Year period

Nuno’s side then take on Championship outfit QPR in a potential FA Cup banana skin which could spell real trouble. GiveMeSport reports that West Ham ‘will consider’ changing manager for the second time this season should form not improve.

It’s added that former West Ham manager Slaven Bilic is ‘expected to be one option’ for the club. The 57-year-old has been out of work since leaving Saudi side Al-Fateh in 2024 and was a name put forward by David Sullivan at the time of looking for a Graham Potter replacement.

Bilic played at Upton Park between 1997 and 1997 and then spent two years in charge of West Ham before his sacking in 2017. The manager spoke to talkSPORT last month about the links with replacing Potter.

Slaven Bilic on potential West Ham return

When quizzed as to whether there was any truth, he said: “There was a bit, yeah, there was a bit. I was close or whatever, but I didn't get the job. They got Nuno, who was a top manager and who'd done a great job at Wolves, not to mention Forest. And to be fair, after first couple of games that they were struggling also with the system and there were some players who were out of position.

"[In the] last couple of games, he put out a strong team and it clicked and six points in two games [wins against Newcastle and Burnley]. He is top manager and I think they're going to be okay this season."

Bilic went on to say that he is aiming for a job in England, where he hasn’t managed since working at Watford in 2023. He said: "Of course, I am very excited about the possibility of returning to management, [at a] Premier League or Championship [level] with a good club that has ambitions to go up.

"I showed myself and I think I proved myself in [the] Premier League, I also proved myself at West Brom. And of course, with my knowledge, with my experience, with my pedigree, I think that I would be able to steer the right club back into the Premier League."

In other news, West Ham must make Chelsea 'audacious' goalkeeper swap deal - opinion.