West Ham board split on Nuno’s future, with Kretinsky said to be backing manager

• David Sullivan understood to be less sure over Nuno

• Decision expected this week after relegation

West Ham’s board are split on Nuno Espírito Santo’s future, opening the possibility of the manager staying after relegation from the Premier League.

Nuno was called in for crisis talks on Monday and a decision is expected before the end of the week. It remains likely West Ham will part company with the Portuguese, although the situation is not as straightforward as first appeared. A source said that Daniel Kretinsky, the Czech billionaire and the club’s second-largest shareholder, wants Nuno to stay. David Sullivan, the largest shareholder, is said to be less sure.