It keeps on getting worse for West Ham United this season.
The Hammers kick-started their Premier League campaign with a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Sunderland last month, and instead of it being an aberration, it was, in fact, a sign of things to come.
The East Londoners have since lost the EFL Cup Second Round tie against Wolverhampton Wanderers and three of their four league games.
It’s undoubtedly time for Graham Potter to be replaced, and the good news is that West Ham are being linked with a host of candidates, including one manager who could be even better than Tottenham Hotspur’s Thomas Frank.
West Ham target a new manager
West Ham have been linked with plenty of potential Potter replacements since the start of the season, with Gary O’Neil being a recent name to pop up.
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The former Wolves boss would undoubtedly be an interesting appointment, and one that may help to stabilise things, but it’s hardly one that’ll get the fans excited.
Likewise, while there is certainly some romanticism surrounding the links to bring Slaven Bilic back to the club, there should be concerns over the fact that he has not managed in the top flight for five years.
Fortunately, there is another manager the Hammers are keen to hire, someone who could be better than Frank.
At least that is according to a recent report from journalist Alan Nixon, who has claimed West Ham are still keen on Nuno Espírito Santo.
In fact, Nixon goes further than that, revealing that the club are now “getting closer” to the former Nottingham Forest boss.
It could be a complicated deal to get over the line, but Nuno would be worth the hassle, especially as he could be an even better manager than Frank.
How Nuno compares to Frank
So the first thing to say is that Frank is clearly a great manager, as he wouldn’t have been at Brentford for so long or got the job at Spurs if he wasn’t.
However, there are some who argue that Nuno is the superior coach, with talkSPORT’s Rory Jennings boldly stating that the former Wolves manager is simply “better than Thomas Frank.”
Now, we know that the content creator isn’t exactly the bastion of good takes, but when you take a look at the stats and achievements, he may well be right.
For example, the Portuguese manager has now overseen 184 Premier League matches during his time with Wolves, Spurs and Forest.
Of those 184 games, 72 have been wins, 45 have been draws and 67 have been losses, which gives him an average of 1.42 points per game.
Games
184
157
Wins
72
57
Draws
45
39
Losses
67
61
Points per Game
1.42
1.34
During his time in the top flight, the Danish coach has managed 157 games, of which 57 have ended in wins, 39 have been draws, and 61 have been defeats, resulting in a worse points per game average of 1.34.
Moreover, unlike with other managers, this comparison feels quite fair, as both of them brought a team up from the Championship, so it’s not like the São Tomé-born tactician has had an easier time of things.
On top of that, while the former Bees boss turned the West Londoners into a mid-table side, Nuno did even better.
During his time with the Old Gold, he took them into Europe, and then, to prove he could do it again, he took the Tricky Trees from relegation candidates to European football within a season and a half.
Ultimately, Frank is a great coach, but from their raw numbers to what we have seen them do with Premier League teams, it looks like Nuno is simply better.