West Ham are in talks to appoint former midfielder Scott Parker as manager, the Press Association understands, following the sacking of Nuno Espirito Santo in the aftermath of back-to-back home defeats.
A 3-1 loss to West Brom at the London Stadium on Saturday left the team eighth in the Sky Bet Championship and prompted what the club called a “thorough review” of their start to life in the second tier, with the team now six points off the top of the table.
The PA understands talks are at an advanced stage for 46-year-old former Fulham, Bournemouth and Burnley boss Parker, who has been out of work since leaving Turf Moor in April, to take over.
A decision was taken in May that Nuno, who was appointed in September 2025, would stay on despite being unable to keep the team in the Premier League.
Under the Portuguese, the club enjoyed a relatively strong run during the second half of last season, winning six out of 13 games between January and April to lift themselves out of the bottom three.
Three defeats in a row in May allowed Tottenham to leapfrog them to safety, and the club have now acted to remove their head coach with the side having lost three of their seven home games in the Championship and trailing in the race for promotion.
In a statement, the club said: “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.
A look at the #SkyBetChampionship table after another dramatic weekend 📈#EFL pic.twitter.com/GtfbxA6QC1
— Sky Bet Championship (@SkyBetChamp) November 1, 2026
“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.
“Mark Noble, Steve Potts and Gerard Prenderville will take temporary charge of squad preparations ahead of tomorrow evening’s EFL Championship fixture at Cardiff City, and the Club will make no further comment until the appointment of the new Head Coach is confirmed.”
Parker, who made more than 100 appearances for the Hammers between 2007 and 2011, has won promotion from the Championship with Fulham, Bournemouth and Burnley but has not enjoyed success in the top flight.
He was relegated with the Cottagers in 2021 and lasted just three matches with Bournemouth in 2022 before resigning. He left Burnley last season after their relegation was confirmed in April.
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