West Ham’s reality check: Why their path back to the Premier League won’t be easy

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Before a ball was kicked against Burnley on Sunday, there was a misplaced arrogance from some that West Ham United would walk the 2026-27 Championship. Instead, they received a much-needed reality check in their season opener.

Following relegation from the Premier League last season, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are understandably considered promotion favourites. But they squandered a two-goal lead at Turf Moor, were taunted by the home supporters and ended up with a 2-2 draw that has created more angst than optimism. It was a game that highlighted West Ham’s lack of squad depth, with Nuno unable to influence the game with offensive substitutions.

West Ham are depleted of attacking options with untested academy prospects Joshua Ajala and Josh Landers the only recognisable forward options on the bench. Despite Arne Engels’ imminent £22million arrival from Celtic, this squad is still not equipped to cope with the rigours of a 46-game schedule in the second tier.

Other glaring issues include Nuno being prone to a drab approach when his side is in front. Last season West Ham dropped 20 points from winning positions, and retreating further into their half for large spells of the second half on Sunday cost them again.

“Disappointing,” said Nuno in his post-match press conference when asked for his thoughts on the performance. “We did a very good first half. We created a lot of chances and we were able to control and stop Burnley but not so good in the second half. After we scored the second goal, I think we should have done better to get the result. Many things (frustrated me about the performance in the second half), many things that we have to improve for the next one (a London derby against Charlton Athletic on Saturday).

“But we need more (bodies), especially in the offensive part of the team. We have young lads, we have options in both full-back positions like in the last game, but we need more bodies in the offensive part of the team. The club knows the targets and the needs of the team. We’re working very hard and trying to get the bodies in as soon as possible.”

Jarrod Bowen has stayed with West Ham in the second tier but that is no guarantee of success in a tough division (Matt McNulty/Getty Images)

While Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville joined Tottenham Hotspur and Al Hilal respectively for a combined fee of £145m, West Ham have surprisingly managed to keep club captain Jarrod Bowen and fellow star players Konstantinos Mavropanos and Taty Castellanos. But it was fellow relegated side Burnley who seemed better suited to challenge for a return to the top flight at the first attempt.

They were the opposite to West Ham and had more attacking impetus, with goalscorer Zian Flemming their chief tormentor. Nuno’s side struggled to cope with his aerial threat. Past the hour-mark, his headed chance hit the post and moments after Ollie Scarles cleared Flemming’s towering header off the line.

Burnley kept knocking on the door and West Ham duly allowed them to with little resistance. When new signing Manor Solomon opened his account and established a two-goal lead in the 72nd minute, it still felt inevitable that Burnley would restore parity.

“Burnley is a good team and Flemming is a good striker,” said Nuno. “They reacted well and created chances, so fair play to them. When you are in front of the result in the last minutes of the game, it’s a learning process that we have to do and fast. We cannot let these two points get away from us.”

Nuno substituted Pablo at half-time as a precaution after the striker developed a potential calf injury. James Ward-Prowse replaced the forward but mostly played out of position as a makeshift right winger. It was another reminder of the threadbare state of West Ham’s squad. This has prompted the head coach to give academy players opportunities, with Lewis Orford and Mohamadou Kante impressing.

But fellow academy graduate Scarles had a lapse in contraction when he conceded a penalty for his rash tackle on Marcus Edwards. Flemming scored from 12 yards and Scarles was consoled by Solomon as the players headed towards the tunnel post-match.

Scarles memorably made an individual mistake against Fulham in December, which led to Raul Jimenez’s match-winning goal. The left-back remains first-choice with El Haji Malick Diouf expected to leave, but he needs to display more maturity.

The draw should be a wake up call for West Ham and their response needs to mirror their start to the Championship 2011-12 season. The club, then managed by Sam Allardyce, lost their opener against Cardiff City but then embarked on a seven-game unbeaten run. Bowen, Castellanos and co need to show similar resilience.

“In the second half, we didn’t play as we should have,” Solomon told the club’s official website. “We were leading and the game was in our hands, but I think we lacked control. We didn’t dominate or play with the ball, and we didn’t create enough chances.

“We invited some of their attacks, so overall we’re disappointed. We knew it was going to be a tough game against Burnley, but you still need to control the ball and have more maturity.”

Welcome to the Championship.