Following Graham Potter’s departure from West Ham over the weekend and the appointment of Nuno Espírito Santo as Head Coach, speculation is mounting over who the Portuguese tactician will bring with him to the London Stadium to form his coaching and backroom team.
Santo may need to broaden his search, as several of his long-standing collaborators are currently tied to other clubs: Several have been ‘must-have’s’ in the past.
Rui Pedro Silva, who served as Santo’s assistant during his managerial debut at Rio Ave in 2012 and later at Valencia, Porto, and Wolves, is currently unattached. Renowned for his tactical expertise, Silva also worked under José Mourinho at Inter Milan and Porto.
Julio Figueroa, a sports psychologist who began his career with Barcelona’s youth academy, has previously been recruited by Santo at Valencia, Wolves, and Nottingham Forest.
Rui Barbosa, Santo’s trusted goalkeeping coach throughout his managerial journey, is expected to join him once again. However, reports suggest he remains under contract at Nottingham Forest until June 2026.
Fitness coach Antonio Dias, another regular presence in Santo’s staff, recently joined Benfica following José Mourinho’s arrival there, making his availability uncertain.
Ian Cathro, who collaborated with Santo extensively in the past but did not follow him to Forest, is currently serving as Head Coach of Estoril Praia in Portugal’s Primeira Liga and is not expected to be part of the new setup.
While Santo’s final appointments are yet to be confirmed, he is currently being supported by familiar faces within the club, including Steve Potts, Kenny Brown, and Mark Robson.
“a newcomer” and “a loser who destroyed Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest?” umm not too sure what fact base is being used to justify those claims but each to their own opinion obviously , i suppose only time will tell
I’m surprised that so much trust is being placed in newcomer Nuno Espírito Santo and that so much hope is being pinned on him for the club’s revival. I think everyone’s wrong. How can anyone expect success from a loser who destroyed Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest? I’m sure all hopes will soon be dashed, and we’ll see that the management has made yet another mistake in appointing a new coach.
Ouch, how to puncture a mood. And people call ME negative lol
How exactly did he destroy Wolves and Forest? He had success at both clubs?
Please explain your reasoning. It should make interesting reading.