West Ham have arguably been the most improved side in the league since the start of 2026. A late loss to fellow relegation rivals Nottingham Forest in early January proved to be something of a watershed moment.
Crysencio Summerville found form at the right time, scoring in back-to-back wins against Tottenham and Sunderland to kickstart the revival. After beating Burnley, they then became the first team to deny ex-Hammer Michael Carrick a win in his interim spell as Manchester United manager, with Tomas Soucek scoring in a 1-1 draw at the London Stadium.
In recent weeks defender Konstantinos Mavropanos has become an unlikely source of goals. After netting against Manchester City in a 1-1 draw a few weeks back, he was at the double in a 4-0 thumping of Wolves which took the Hammers out of the relegation zone for the first time since matchday four.
If they can start picking up points away from home as freely as they recently have done at the London Stadium, survival should be within their grasp.
The Boss: Nuno Espirito Santo
A rocky start for the Hammers for Nuno – with just two wins from his first 16 Premier League games in charge after replacing Graham Potter in late September – has paved way to a more profitable formula for the Portuguese manager.
After a spell in Saudi Arabia followed bruising exits from Premier League rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur, Nuno returned to England with Nottingham Forest midway through 2023/24.
He had a tall task taking over from Steve Cooper, who was a firm favourite amongst the Forest fans, but kept them in the top-flight fairly comfortably before an outstanding campaign last term saw them finish seventh and reach the FA Cup semi-finals. He departed earlier this season – not long after his team dug out a 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park – before joining the Irons.
Nuno’s teams are consistently well-drilled, prioritising a compact defensive shape to limit space and maximise their chances of keeping clean sheets. With numerous flair players still at his disposal, West Ham should be an intriguing side to watch in their remaining games fighting to retain to-flight status.