West Ham United have dismissed head coach Nuno Espirito Santo following a disappointing start to their EFL Championship campaign. The 52-year-old manager, who had been in charge since September 2025, departed after failing to maintain momentum following the club’s relegation from the Premier League last season.
As reported by BBC Sport, the London club is in advanced negotiations with former Bournemouth, Burnley, and Fulham manager Scott Parker to take over the role. Parker, who spent four seasons playing for the Hammers during his career, previously guided both Bournemouth and Burnley to promotion from the Championship into the top flight.
Recent Defeats and Interim Staff
Considered pre-season favourites for automatic promotion, West Ham currently sit eighth in the Championship standings, six points behind league leaders Middlesbrough. Their recent form has faltered with only two wins in their last six league matches. Consecutive home losses—a 3-2 defeat to Southampton followed by a 3-1 loss to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday—saw the team drop out of second place.
Assistant head coach Rui Pedro Silva and goalkeeper coach Rui Barbosa have also departed alongside Nuno. Mark Noble, Steve Potts, and Gerard Prenderville will take temporary charge of first-team duties for Wednesday night’s league fixture against Cardiff City.
In an official statement, the club outlined the reason for the decision:
“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,” a West Ham United statement read.
“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 statement added that “The process of recruiting a new head coach is already under way.”
Managerial Changes and Roster Rebuild
Nuno’s departure means West Ham are searching for their fourth permanent head coach since David Moyes left the London Stadium in May 2024. Julen Lopetegui was relieved of his duties after six months, having won six of his 20 Premier League fixtures. His successor, Graham Potter, guided the team to a 14th-place finish before being sacked eight months into his tenure with the club in 19th position.
The board retained Nuno after the club was relegated last season, finishing two points behind Tottenham Hotspur. However, the current Championship campaign began with a three-match winless streak that left them 19th. A subsequent four-game winning run in September—including a 6-0 win over Wrexham—briefly took the Hammers to the top of the table. Form dropped again shortly after, yielding only two league wins since: a 6-0 victory against nine-man Lincoln City and a 1-0 win at Swansea City, alongside draws with London rivals Millwall and Queens Park Rangers.
Off the field, financial losses exceeding £104 million forced major squad restructuring following relegation. The departures of players such as Mateus Fernandes, Crysencio Summerville, El Hadji Malick Diouf, James Ward-Prowse, and Freddie Potts generated approximately £150 million in transfer revenues. West Ham subsequently paid Celtic a Championship record £22 million for midfielder Arne Engels and spent £12 million on Norwegian winger Edvin Austbo, alongside free agent signings Joel Veltman and Manor Solomon.
Key first-team players including Jarrod Bowen, Konstantinos Mavropanos, and Tomas Soucek—who missed the opening two months with an ankle injury—were retained. Among the new arrivals, Engels has provided three assists without scoring in 12 matches, while Austbo has scored twice and provided two assists across two league starts.
BBC London Sport editor Phil Parry noted that slow starts have hampered West Ham’s progress, with the team conceding the opening goal in four of their past six matches and securing just two points from those games. With significant squad investment and high expectations from the fanbase, the immediate objective for any incoming head coach remains securing a direct return to the Premier League.
