West Ham United have sacked head coach Nuno Espírito Santo. The club confirmed on Tuesday that he has left with immediate effect, three days after a 3-1 home defeat to West Bromwich Albion.
Assistant head coach Rui Pedro Silva and goalkeeper coach Rui Barbosa have gone too. Mark Noble will take temporary charge of the team. Steve Potts and Gerard Prenderville will work with him.
Why West Ham made the change
Nuno took over at West Ham in September 2025 after Graham Potter was sacked. He had worked in England before with Wolves and Tottenham. He could not keep the team in the Premier League last season, but the board decided in May to keep him and aim for an immediate return.
It has not worked out so far. West Ham have won six of their 13 Championship games and sit eighth in the table. The West Brom game was their second home defeat in a row, and fans sang against the coach during the match.
In a statement, the club said the board believed “a change is necessary at this time” after “a thorough review of the start to the EFL Championship season”. It added that the search for a new head coach is already under way.
Scott Parker in line
Reports in England say Scott Parker is close to taking over, with talks at an advanced stage. The club has not confirmed anything yet.
Parker knows the club from his playing days. He joined West Ham as a midfielder in 2007 and spent four seasons at the club. As a coach he won promotion to the Premier League with Fulham and with Bournemouth, then did it again with Burnley. He left Burnley in April.
No time to settle
There is little time for anyone to settle in. West Ham play away at Cardiff City on Wednesday night. Noble will lead the team in that game.
Whoever gets the job will start with a team in eighth place and plenty of games left to play. He will also need to win the fans back quickly after what happened against West Brom.
Our take
Eighth place after 13 games is no disaster in a long Championship season. West Ham wanted to be fighting for the top two, though, and the board decided not to wait any longer.
If Parker does arrive, his record in this division is good. He has won promotion three times, and West Ham need exactly that.
Is Scott Parker the right man to take West Ham back to the Premier League? Tell us in the comments.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Nuno Espírito Santo by Carla Cortés (CC BY 2.0); Scott Parker by Timmy96 (CC0); Mark Noble by Egghead06 (CC BY-SA 4.0); London Stadium by Timmy96 (CC0).
