Nuno Espirito Santo was careful not to get carried away when he spoke to Sky Sports on Friday, reminding everyone that "we still have a big mission to accomplish, a hard job to do." His calm, pragmatic tone came after West Ham’s 4-0 victory over Wolves, a win that lifted the Hammers out of the relegation zone and ensured they would stay clear of the bottom three, even after Tottenham’s draw with Brighton on Saturday. With that safety net in place, the club now prepares for a Monday Night Football clash at Crystal Palace. "Let's try to ignore the table and focus on what we have to do game by game," Nuno urged his players. It is a sensible piece of advice – concentrating on the immediate task rather than the overall standings can keep the squad grounded.
Yet West Ham supporters have every reason to feel optimistic about the progress their team has made. The transformation over the past few months has been both dramatic and impressive. When West Ham suffered a defeat to Nottingham Forest on 6 January, they were seven points adrift of safety and a full 13 points behind Tottenham.
Since then, a run of five wins in eleven league matches has propelled them above the crucial safety line. The side feels almost like a new entity, having undergone a substantial overhaul during the winter transfer window. Players such as Lucas Paquetá, James Ward‑Prowse, Guido Rodríguez, Andriy Irving, George Earley, Luis Guilherme and Niclas Fullkrug departed, while new faces – Axel Disasi, Taty Castellanos, Pablo Felip, Adama Traoré and Keiber Lamadrid – arrived to reshape the squad. "We reduced the numbers in terms of players and rebalanced our squad in terms of positions," Nuno explained.
"Basically, that’s the way we wanted to approach the second half of the season – a different idea for the latter part of the campaign." The shift in philosophy is evident in the statistics. From the start of the season until mid‑January, West Ham were 17th for goals per game, 19th for big chances created and 16th for possession.
Since the turn‑around, they have surrendered possession – now sitting at the bottom of the league for that metric – but have become far more potent in attack, ranking sixth for both goals per game and big chances created. Defensively, the team has also tightened up. Since goalkeeper Mads Hermansen returned to the starting line‑up and the loan signing of Disasi reinforced the back line, West Ham have kept four clean sheets in their last eight Premier League fixtures.
Their set‑piece vulnerability has been largely remedied; they have conceded only three set‑piece goals in the past eleven games, compared with twelve in the preceding twenty‑one matches. Perhaps the most significant factor in this resurgence is the growing camaraderie among the players. "If I can point to one particular aspect, I think everybody realised that we have to come together around the same objective," Nuno said.
"Football is a collective sport. Everybody is needed – the squad, the coaching staff, the club personnel, the fans… We are getting closer together, helping each other to achieve what we want." That unity was on full display in the FA Cup quarter‑final against Leeds United. West Ham found themselves 2‑0 down deep into stoppage time of the second half, yet they battled back to force extra time and eventually a penalty shoot‑out.
Although they ultimately fell short, the comeback demonstrated a refusal to give up. "To take it to extra‑time and then to penalties showed that we don’t give up, that we cannot give up," Nuno emphasized. "We showed it in front of our fans. We cannot allow ourselves to ever give up.
Never give up." Captain Jarrod Bowen epitomises that fighting spirit. In the cup tie he struck the woodwork twice and saw his spot‑kick saved, yet he responded by providing two assists in the subsequent league demolition of Wolves. "He’s been amazing. Jarrod has been huge for us," Nuno praised.
"He leads by example. The teammates trust him. He’s the club captain – it means a lot.
He embraces that responsibility. Jarrod never stops.
This is the message we want the squad to see: no matter the situation, we keep giving, we keep insisting, we keep believing. And Jarrod is proof of that." As the Hammers head to Selhurst Park on Monday night, they do so as a rejuvenated unit, ready to confront the difficulty of their circumstances and to seize the opportunity they have carved out together.
"Every game is pressure, always pressure," Nuno warned. "It’s increased because of the situation we’re in and we’re at this decisive moment of the season, so we expect the best from our players, knowing everything will be decided now." The narrative of West Ham’s season thus far is one of adaptation, resilience and collective belief.
By trimming the squad, rebalancing positions, embracing a more direct style, tightening defensive structures and fostering a strong sense of unity, Nuno and his staff have steered the club away from the brink of relegation toward a more hopeful horizon. Whether that momentum can be sustained for the final stretch remains to be seen, but the foundation they have built – a squad that works together, never surrenders, and thrives under pressure – offers a solid platform for the challenges ahead.