West Ham Sacks Nuno Espirito Santo After Poor Championship Start

LONDON, Nov 3 (OPA) — West Ham United confirmed on Tuesday that men's first-team head coach Nuno Espírito Santo has left his position with immediate effect. Assistant head coach Rui Pedro Silva and goalkeeper coach Rui Barbosa have also departed the London club following a thorough board review.

The decision comes after a 3-1 home loss to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, which left the Hammers with only six wins from their opening 13 matches. Despite heavy summer investment, including a Championship-record £22 million fee paid to Celtic for Arne Engels, the team has struggled to find consistency in the second tier following last season's relegation from the Premier League.

Nuno, 52, signed a three-year contract in September 2025 but failed to prevent the club's drop from the top flight. While co-owner David Sullivan initially favored a managerial change after relegation, majority shareholder Daniel Kretinsky backed the Portuguese coach to lead the club's promotion campaign. However, back-to-back defeats against Southampton and West Brom proved decisive, with supporters openly chanting for his dismissal during Saturday's match.

Mark Noble, Steve Potts, and Gerard Prenderville will take temporary charge of the squad ahead of Wednesday's fixture away to Cardiff City. The club stated that the recruitment process for a permanent head coach is already underway as they attempt to revive their promotion ambitions.