West Ham United have fired head coach Nuno Espirito Santo and are moving to hire former midfielder Scott Parker. The relegated London club is trying to rescue a faltering push for an immediate return to the Premier League.
The club is in advanced talks with Parker, who has been out of work since leaving Burnley last season. He could be confirmed before Wednesday's Championship match at Cardiff City.
Nuno's assistant, Rui Pedro Silva, and goalkeeper coach Rui Barbosa have also left. Mark Noble, Steve Potts and Gerard Prenderville will take temporary charge for the trip to Wales.
West Ham's board said a review of the season's start convinced it that a change was needed to keep the club's objectives on track. It added that the search for a new head coach had already begun.
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
West Ham United, club statement
A promotion bid gone off course
Widely tipped for automatic promotion, West Ham sit eighth, six points behind leaders Middlesbrough. Back-to-back home defeats, 3-2 to Southampton and 3-1 to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, knocked them down from second place.
The 52-year-old Portuguese coach took over from Graham Potter in September 2025 with 33 games to keep the team up. West Ham went down after finishing two points behind Tottenham Hotspur, but the club kept faith with him anyway.
Parker brings a record the club badly needs: he has led Fulham, Bournemouth and Burnley out of the Championship. He also made 129 appearances over four seasons as a West Ham player, and his backroom staff is expected to include Noble, a former teammate.
Money and managerial turnover
The stakes are financial as well as sporting. After posting losses of more than £104 million, West Ham had to sell players over the summer, raising about £150 million from departures including Mateus Fernandes, Crysencio Summerville and James Ward-Prowse.
Parker would be the club's fourth permanent manager since David Moyes left in May 2024. Julen Lopetegui was fired after six months, and Potter lasted only eight.
