Morato has joined West Ham on a season-long loan from Nottingham Forest, and the deal brings him straight back under Nuno Espirito Santo. The West Ham defender is 25 and Brazilian, and the move hands him a chance to work again with the coach who signed him for Forest in August 2024.
Nuno Espirito Santo reunion
That link is the main pull of the move. Morato was signed by Nuno at Forest in August 2024, then played 37 times for the club in all competitions last term. Forest finished 16th in the 2025 Premier League, so he arrives at West Ham with a clear sense of the level he has already been playing at.
Morato did not hide his target when he spoke to the BBC. "I always want to win, I don't like to lose, so I'm here to help this team get back to where it should be - back to the Premier League as soon as possible," he said.
West Ham's defensive need
The loan also fits West Ham's need. They finished 18th in the 2025 Premier League, with 39 points and 65 goals conceded in 38 matches. Their recent league run of WLLLW points to the same issue, a side that has not found much stability at the back.
Forest, by contrast, conceded 51 league goals and went through a recent run of DLDWW. Morato leaves a team that had its own defensive work to do, but the headline here is the reunion with Nuno and the chance to help West Ham start moving in a better direction.
West Ham will want that effect to show quickly, and Morato has already made his ambition plain.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
