Nuno Espirito Santo interview: West Ham boss on their bright start, being back in the Championship and facing QPR

09.10.2026, 08:46 skysports.com

"Life changes as you get older."

A reflective Nuno Espirito Santo, as he looks back on how he has changed as a manager and a person since he was last in charge of a Championship club with Wolves eight years ago.

"There are a lot of things that have changed, the league has got harder. There is more quality. But some things stay the same. We still need hard work, honesty."

It was the win against Wolves at the start of September that kickstarted West Ham's season. They had failed to win in their first three games in August, before a 4-2 victory over Nuno's old club at the London Stadium got things moving.

From there, it was three more wins and a draw before the international break, which saw him collect the Sky Bet Championship Manager of the Month award for September.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

"It was an important win [against Wolves]," Nuno says. "It was important for me and important for the players to achieve it. It started against Wolves and it continued to the draw at Millwall."

West Ham's last game saw them fight back from two goals down to draw 2-2 at The Den.

"It was a good reaction from all of us in the second half, a game that didn't start well, but we reacted well in the second half and we finished the game strong," Nuno adds.

"It was a positive for all of us, but I still believe that we should have done things better and tried to achieve a different result.

"It's in the past. Let's try to move forward and focus on what's to come."

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Up next for West Ham is a clash at home with QPR on Friday night, live on Sky Sports, off the back of a three-week break.

For Nuno and his squad members not on international duty, it was a chance to relax.

But there were also some nerves in hoping that his players away with their respective nations would come back fit and ready for action.

"It was important for all of us," he says. "It was a very tough schedule, so having these days to not only recover physically but also mentally, of course it was too much time, but normally it is. I feel healthy, which is important.

"We are proud that our players represent their own countries, but always worried because we need them to come back okay. It's important how we receive these players.

"We have only had one day back all together. But the dynamic of the session was good and that the boys that weren't here have reintegrated.

A win over QPR would see West Ham go top of the table ahead of the weekend's fixtures, but Nuno is aware the Championship season is a marathon, not a sprint, and there is still a lot to do.

"We have a lot of things to improve," he says. "It's a squad that is new. A lot of players have joined us.

"I've chased this objective to always be sustainable in our performances, our play. We have major challenges ahead of us."

One thing West Ham seem to have perfected, however, is their set-piece threat. They have scored six of their 22 goals from them already. Centre-back Konstantinos Mavropanos, remarkably, has scored four in his last four.

"They have been so important," says Nuno. "To have players like Dinos [Mavropanos], and Max [Kilman], they are such threats. It's a positive. We also have the delivery and the accuracy.

"But we do need to find the balance between the offence and the defence of them. It takes a lot of time."

West Ham's last home game on a Friday night saw them put Wrexham to the sword with a 6-0 rout. It was one of the most boisterous evenings seen in recent times at the London Stadium.

The atmosphere, Nuno says, will be vital against QPR.

"It's crucial for us," he says. "Our fans have been amazing at the stadium. I hope they're always with us, again, under the lights.

"It's a perfect scenario for us to put in a good performance."

Play Super 6 for a chance to win £250k! Enter for free.