It’s hard to go, claims Hammers boss Nuno, despite Spurs’ woeful home record

West Ham Boss Nuno Espirito Santo has dismissed Tottenham’s dismal record at home and insists it is « always a difficult place to go ».

The Hammers travel to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday in a game of key importance to both sides for different reasons.

West Ham will make the short trip from east to north London third from bottom in the Premier League, seven points from safety. They need wins quickly if they are to run into the likes of Nottingham Forest and Leeds, both of whom have shown an upturn in form in recent weeks. Nuno’s men have gone the other way after not winning a league game since the start of November.

« There is a lot of football to be played but we have to realize that every game is very important for us. It is very, very important for us, » said Nuno, who will face his former club this weekend after spending a largely unhappy four-month spell at Spurs in 2021.

« It has been an honor and a pleasure to manage Spurs, » he added. « Things are not going well. It’s the third game in a row that we’ve faced clubs where I’ve managed before (after Wolves and Nottingham Forest). Nothing changes, it’s a new game, it’s a tough opponent and a tough place. We need so much to get a good result and our focus is to go there and compete. »

Spurs are a good team, says West Ham boss

Tottenhamwho will debut new signing Conor Gallagher, have one of the worst home records in the top-flight this season, having won just twice in front of their own fans under intense pressure on boss Thomas Frank. However, Nuno is in for a tough afternoon.

« They are a good team with talented players, » he said. « It’s always a tough place and they’re a rival. It’s a London derby. What the fans expect is for us to fight well and then we’ll see. »

West Ham will be hoping to have Konstantinos Mavropanos, Mateus Fernandes and Lucas Paquette in the squad for the weekend.

« They all recover with different things, » Nuno said. « Konstantinos had a neck problem that took a while and is still painful. Mateus is doing individual sessions again and Lucas is still on treatment, so let’s see. We have a few more days. »

Paquette’s future remains up in the air after expressing his desire to return to boyhood club Flamengo, and Nuno admitted the Brazilian midfielder’s situation must be resolved.

« I think it’s a situation we need to resolve, » he said. « We always want our best players involved and Lucas is one of our best players, so let’s try to resolve the situation. »

West Ham’s January spending spree may not be over

West Ham have already spent around £47m on strikers Tati Castellanos and Pablo Felipe in the current window. Asked if there were other positions he wanted to strengthen, Nuno said: « There is, but let me try to keep it to myself. We are working very hard as a club to find the right ones in a very difficult transfer window to work. We have to make good decisions and we cannot afford mistakes.

« We are working on ins and outs. I feel we need to rebalance our team and provide more options in some positions, and find the best solutions for players who don’t have minutes to play and continue their careers. »

Former England internationals James Ward-Prowse and Callum Wilson have been linked with moves away from the London Stadium in recent weeks.

Wilson is a reported target for Everton, while Southampton have been mentioned as a potential destination for the former St Ward-Prowse man.