West Ham player has told Nuno Espirito Santo he will 'never play for him again' amid Premier League relegation

A member of Nuno Espirito Santo's West Ham United squad has already told his manager he will 'never play for him again' in a furious bust-up.

The Hammers' 14-year stay in the Premier League came to an end on Sunday afternoon thanks to Tottenham Hotspur's 1-0 win over Everton on the final day.

West Ham needed to defeat Leeds United, then hope Spurs slipped up against the Toffees. Despite a convincing 3-0 win for West Ham, Joao Palhinha's 42nd-minute goal for Roberto De Zerbi's men was enough to see them finish 17th on 42 points.

For West Ham, that means they'll play in the second tier for the first time since 2012. It's a disaster for the club, who hoped to kick on and become a dominant force in English football after leaving Upton Park for the London Stadium.

West Ham parted ways with David Moyes in 2024 and hired Julen Lopetegui. The Spaniard's arrival coincided with a shift in identity, with several high-profile players arriving from Europe. Among them was Jean-Clair Todibo, initially a loan signing from Nice before signing for €40million the following year.

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Nuno and Todibo's furious falling out

Per The Athletic, Todibo and Nuno exchanged words in the aftermath of last weekend's 3-1 defeat to Newcastle United.

Nuno opted to substitute the France international for Taty Castellanos in the 25th minute, a decision which left Todibo furious.

He decided to complain to the goalkeeper coach, Rui Barbosa, and then voiced his opinion to Nuno. The resulting argument saw Todibo tell Nuno he would not play for West Ham again while he was the manager.

Consequently, Todibo was omitted from the matchday squad against Leeds. Nuno shifted to a back four, partnering Axel Disasi and Konstantinos Mavropanos.

Among the names West Ham are expected to sell to recoup funds are Mavropanos, Crysencio Summerville and Mateus Fernandes. When quizzed about his future at full-time, West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen said it'd be 'disrespectful' to discuss so soon after their fate had been confirmed.

He told Sky Sports: "Getting this club relegated, it hurts. We shouldn't be in the position we're in, but we've found ourselves in it, and we've not done enough to stay up.

"Hurt is the only thing I feel... "We've had so many games when we could have got different results.

"It's still very, very raw. It's disrespectful to everyone to start talking about my future. I want this club to be in the Premier League.

"It's a club that means so much to me and has given me so much, so my vision is to get this club back in the Premier League."