West Ham are poised to appoint Scott Parker as manager after sacking Nuno Espírito Santo. The club have acted after a disappointing start to the Championship season and have moved for Parker, a former West Ham midfielder, in an attempt to get their push for automatic promotion back on track.
Nuno was under increasing pressure after Saturday’s 3-1 defeat by West Bromwich Albion left the favourites to win the title in eighth, four points off second-placed Swansea. West Ham kept faith with the 52-year-old Portuguese after last season’s relegation from the Premier League but recent form placed Nuno under renewed threat and led to his dismissal on Tuesday morning.
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West Ham had already identified Parker as their preferred candidate to take over. The 46-year-old has been out of work since leaving Burnley after their relegation from the Premier League last April and is expected to take over on a two-and-a-half-year deal. It is hoped that Parker, who spent four years at West Ham as a player, will be in charge for Wednesday’s trip to Cardiff.
If a deal cannot be completed in time then Mark Noble, the club’s sporting director, will oversee the match against Cardiff, with help from Steve Potts and Gerard Prenderville. Noble, who is understood to have been one of several influential voices who felt Nuno’s time was up after 13 months in charge, is expected to be part of Parker’s backroom staff.
David Sullivan, then the club’s largest shareholder, wanted to sack Nuno after last season’s relegation from the Premier League. Daniel Kretinsky, the Czech billionaire, pushed for continuity. Sullivan then resigned as a joint-chair and director of West Ham to fight what he described as “false allegations” around his personal conduct. Kretinsky became West Ham’s biggest shareholder in September, buying a stake of 46%. The agreement saw Sullivan, who is not on the board, increase his stake from 38% to 40%.
Kretinsky has assumed more power and is said to have been unhappy with Nuno after attending West Ham’s 3-2 defeat by Southampton at the London Stadium. There was further disquiet in the directors’ box when West Brom handed West ham a second consecutive home defeat. Kretinsky has recognised it was a mistake to stick with Nuno, who is due £3m in compensation.
Nuno had 33 games to save West Ham from relegation after replacing Graham Potter in September 2025. But the former Nottingham Forest manager made inconsistent and baffling team selections, fell out with a host of players, made poor signings and was not popular with many non-playing staff members. Nuno has also faced internal criticism because of his reluctance to use the defensive midfielders Edson Álvarez and Soungoutou Magassa this season.
West Ham, who have two wins from their last six league games, backed Nuno in the transfer market last January. There was surprise within the recruitment department when a search for more firepower in attack saw almost £50m spent on Pablo Felipe and Taty Castellanos. Both strikers underwhelmed in the Premier League and have not found it any easier in the Championship.
While West Ham’s squad is far from perfect, the internal view is results should be better this season, especially as Nuno was able to break the EFL transfer record by spending £22m on Arne Engels from Celtic last summer. It is understood Nuno lost support in the dressing room in recent weeks. Nils Koppen, the director of recruitment, was especially unhappy with him.
The hope is that Parker, a promotion specialist, can revive West Ham. The 46-year-old has led Burnley, Bournemouth and Fulham into the top flight. His managerial record in the Premier League is less impressive but West Ham’s current aim is simply to get out of the Championship. They feel that Parker is a safe pair of hands and believe his connection with West Ham means he understands the club.
Parker joined West Ham from Newcastle in 2007 and loved his time in east London. He was named the club’s player of the year on three occasions but he left for Tottenham following relegation in 2011.
