Carlton Cole Warns West Ham Need Divine Luck to Avoid Relegation
West Ham United’s relegation fears deepened this week after club icon Carlton Cole admitted the Hammers may need the luck of the gods to survive a season spiralling toward disaster at the London Stadium.
With West Ham rooted in the bottom three and seven points adrift of safety, Cole delivered a stark assessment of a campaign defined by instability, poor fortune, and a squad struggling to respond to yet another managerial reset under Nuno Espírito Santo.
The former striker backed the Portuguese coach to steady the ship but warned that the damage may already be done. A rapid succession of managers has left West Ham with a fractured squad assembled for conflicting philosophies, now asked to scrap for Premier League survival with little cohesion or clarity.
West Ham’s current predicament reflects a wider collapse in continuity. Since Julen Lopetegui’s departure, followed by Graham Potter’s brief tenure, Nuno has become the third manager tasked with extracting results from a squad not built to his vision. The club’s recruitment over the last 18 months has produced a mix of profiles that has struggled to function under changing tactical demands.
With fixtures running out and pressure mounting, every dropped point has heightened fears of relegation and raised questions about the club’s short-term direction and long-term stability.
Cole was clear that blame should not rest at Nuno’s door. The West Ham legend described the current squad as an awkward inheritance, with the new manager effectively performing damage control rather than long-term planning midway through the season.
Nuno is still assessing his options, trying to find combinations that can deliver immediate results while working with players he did not personally select. The situation, Cole suggested, has limited the manager’s ability to impose structure or consistency at a critical moment.
The atmosphere in East London has shifted noticeably in recent weeks. What began as frustration has turned into genuine anxiety, with supporters sensing the margins are tightening. Performances have often lacked conviction early in matches, forcing West Ham into reactive football rather than assertive displays that could ease the pressure.
Key players have shown flashes of quality, but confidence appears fragile, particularly when games tilt against them through fine margins or late setbacks.
Cole also pointed to a run of misfortune that has compounded West Ham’s struggles. Contentious refereeing decisions, late goals conceded, and moments of bad luck have repeatedly swung matches away from them, accelerating their slide down the table.
In a relegation battle, those moments often define a season. For West Ham, they have too frequently arrived at the wrong time, leaving little room for error as desperation grows.
West Ham moved in the January window to address their lack of cutting edge, bringing in Taty Castellanos from Lazio and Pablo Felipe from Gil Vicente. While both forwards offer energy and options, Cole remains unconvinced they represent a turning point.
He stressed that expecting instant transformation would be unrealistic, arguing that Nuno still lacks enough players aligned to his methods. Judgment, Cole believes, should be reserved until the manager has at least one or two full transfer windows to reshape the squad.
As the season enters its decisive phase, West Ham face a grind rather than a flourish. Matches are increasingly tense, with survival likely to hinge on resilience, concentration, and the ability to seize rare opportunities rather than dominate proceedings.
Nuno’s challenge is to instil belief quickly while navigating a fixture list that offers little margin for recovery.
The longer West Ham remain in the relegation zone, the more the stakes rise. Cole acknowledged fears that relegation could trigger the departure of key players, including Jarrod Bowen, whose quality continues to stand out amid the turmoil.
While Bowen remains committed, the reality of the situation casts a long shadow over the club’s future should the worst occur.
For West Ham, the path to safety is narrowing. Results must arrive quickly, but Cole’s verdict was brutally honest. Survival may depend not only on performances, but on fortune finally turning in their favour.
As the run-in begins, the Hammers are fighting more than opponents. They are fighting time, momentum, and a season that has slipped alarmingly close to the edge.