West Ham United have dismissed head coach Nuno Espirito Santo following a disappointing start to their Championship campaign, with former midfielder Scott Parker reportedly close to reaching an agreement to replace him.
The Portuguese manager’s departure was confirmed on Tuesday morning, November 3, after the Hammers slipped to eighth in the second-tier standings despite entering the season among the favourites for promotion.
Nuno, 52, joined West Ham in September 2025 on a three-year contract but was unable to prevent their relegation from the Premier League.
Expectations were high that he would guide the club straight back into the top flight, but inconsistent performances have left them struggling to establish themselves among the leading promotion contenders.
Their latest setback came on Saturday when they suffered a 3-1 home defeat against West Bromwich Albion.
The result left West Ham with just six victories from their opening 13 matches and contributed to the decision to end Nuno’s tenure.
Scott Parker Linked With London Stadium Return
According to The Athletic, West Ham have reached an agreement with Scott Parker to become their next head coach.
Parker has been without a managerial position since leaving Burnley shortly after the club’s relegation from the Premier League last season.
The former England international has previous experience of securing promotion to the top division, having achieved the feat with Fulham, Bournemouth and Burnley.
He also has a strong connection with West Ham, having represented the club between 2007 and 2012.
During that period, he made 129 appearances and won the club’s Player of the Year award three times.
Parker is now being considered for a return to the London Stadium, with the possibility that he could take charge ahead of Wednesday’s Championship fixture against Cardiff City if an agreement is completed in time.
Former West Ham captain Mark Noble, who previously played alongside Parker, could also become part of his coaching staff.
West Ham Confirm Departures of Coaching Staff
In a statement announcing the decision, West Ham confirmed that Nuno had left his position with immediate effect.
The club also announced the departures of assistant head coach Rui Pedro Silva and goalkeeper coach Rui Barbosa.
The statement read:
“West Ham United can confirm that men’s first-team Head Coach Nuno Espirito Santo has left his position with immediate effect.
“Following a thorough review of the start to the EFL Championship season, the Board of Directors believe that a change is necessary at this time in order to ensure that the club’s objectives and expectations remain on track.
“Assistant Head Coach Rui Pedro Silva and Goalkeeper Coach Rui Barbosa have also departed.
“West Ham United would like to thank Nuno, Rui and Rui for their hard work and commitment during their time at the club, and wish them all the very best for the future.
“The process of recruiting a new Head Coach is already underway.”
The club further confirmed that Noble, Steve Potts and Gerard Prenderville would oversee the team temporarily ahead of their trip to Cardiff.
However, Parker could be appointed in time to take charge of the match.
Disagreement Over Nuno’s Future Emerged During Summer
Nuno’s dismissal comes after uncertainty surrounding his position following West Ham’s relegation from the Premier League.
Daily Mail Sport reported that co-owner David Sullivan had wanted to part company with the Portuguese manager during the summer.
However, Daniel Kretinsky, who is now the club’s largest shareholder, supported Nuno and backed him to lead the promotion campaign.
Following that decision, West Ham released a statement outlining their plans for the Championship season and described Nuno as highly motivated for the challenge.
The club also retained several important first-team players despite selling Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville during the summer transfer window.
Jarrod Bowen, Tomas Soucek, Taty Castellanos and Konstantinos Mavropanos were among those who remained at the London Stadium.
West Ham also strengthened their squad with substantial investment, including the £22million acquisition of Arne Engels from Celtic, which represented a Championship transfer record fee.
Back-to-Back Defeats Increase Pressure on Nuno
Despite recording emphatic 6-0 victories against Wrexham and Lincoln City, West Ham struggled to maintain consistent results throughout the opening stages of the campaign.
Defeats against Southampton and West Brom in successive matches intensified pressure on Nuno, with supporters expressing their frustration during Saturday’s loss.
Home fans at the London Stadium directed chants of “sacked in the morning” towards the manager during and after the defeat against the Baggies.
Speaking after the match, Nuno acknowledged the supporters’ disappointment and insisted that improving results was the only way to restore their confidence.
“Every day there is pressure,” he said.
“I’m disappointed because we wanted to improve things. We want to win matches.
“This is the reality. You can only change this if we win games.
That’s the solution: getting better results. We have to go back to good performances.”
He also referenced the points dropped against Burnley in the season opener and the home defeats against Charlton, Southampton and West Brom.
Nuno added that improving the team’s performances would help restore the relationship with supporters.
Nuno Departs With Mixed Record at West Ham
There was an unusual dimension to Nuno’s dismissal, given his previous association with West Ham’s rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The defeat against West Brom, one of Wolves’ rivals, ultimately preceded the announcement of his departure.
Although West Ham experienced an improvement towards the end of last season and recorded an eight-match unbeaten run earlier in the current campaign, their inconsistency eventually led to the managerial change.
Nuno leaves the club after overseeing 53 matches, recording 19 victories, 19 defeats and 15 draws.
West Ham Face Cardiff and Blackburn Before International Break
West Ham are currently six points behind Championship leaders Middlesbrough and will travel to Cardiff City on Wednesday.
The club are expected to have a new head coach in place for the fixture if negotiations with Parker are concluded successfully.
Following the Cardiff match, the Hammers will travel to Blackburn Rovers before the two-week international break.
