West Ham star 'refused to play' relegation decider after row with Nuno Espirito Santo

West Ham have been relegated from the Premier League for the first time in 15 years - and the extent of the issues behind the scenes have now become apparent

West Ham defender Jean-Clair Todibo reportedly refused to play for his side on Sunday following an almighty argument with manager Nuno Espirito Santo. The Hammers were relegated to the Championship, despite beating Leeds 3-0 because Tottenham overcame Everton to guarantee their safety.

Nuno's side needed to win and for Spurs to lose to leapfrog them into 17th place on the final day of the season. But Joao Palhinha's scrappy first-half goal was enough for Roberto De Zerbi's side to stay up and condemn their London rivals to the drop.

The review into what went wrong has already started at West Ham, with Nuno expected to leave the club following crunch talks on Monday afternoon. And the depths of the discontent behind the scenes is shown by Todibo's falling out with the manager.

The 26-year-old made 23 appearances for West Ham in the Premier League this season but was absent from the squad against Leeds. The defender watched the match from the stands at the London Stadium after reportedly vowing never to play for Nuno again.

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The Athletic reports that Todibo reacted angrily to being substituted by Nuno in the 26th minute of their 3-1 defeat by Newcastle in the penultimate game. The Hammers were already 2-0 down by that point and Nuno swapped the defender for striker Taty Castellanos, who then scored a consolation goal.

Todibo had a row with Nuno over the decision and later complained to goalkeeping coach Rui Barbosa and refused to even be named on the bench in the final game. The central defender previously clashed with both Julen Lopetegui and Graham Potter and is unlikely to survive the cull in the summer transfer window.

However, his problem with Nuno won't last if he does stay in east London with the Portuguese boss set to depart after board discussions. He only arrived in September to replace Potter, following a bitter exit from Nottingham Forest, but has lost support.

“It’s not about me,” he said when asked about his future on Sunday. “We are in a tough place and West Ham has to go back in the Premier League. But now we have to go through this period of sadness, understanding the frustration and anger of the fans.”

When pushed further, Nuno added: “You keep insisting [to ask] me about that and my mind is not there, you understand? Today, tomorrow, if we have a press conference, next one, for sure we can speak about that. But today, it’s about understanding how tough it is.

“I understand and we have to be ready for many things that will be coming out in the press. About speculation, about all of us, our future. But today is not the day to think about that.”

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