West Ham Pursues Scott Parker After Sacking Nuno Espirito Santo

LONDON, Nov 3 (OPA) — West Ham United are expected to confirm Scott Parker as head coach before Wednesday's Championship fixture against Cardiff City. The 52-year-old Portuguese manager Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked after overseeing a disappointing start to the second-tier season, which followed the club's relegation from the Premier League last term. Assistant head coach Rui Pedro Silva and goalkeeper coach Rui Barbosa have also left the club. Mark Noble, Steve Potts, and Gerard Prenderville will take temporary charge of the squad for the trip to Cardiff City.

"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," the club said in a statement. Widely seen as favorites for automatic promotion, the London side currently sit eighth in the table, six points behind leaders Middlesbrough. They have won two of their last six matches and suffered back-to-back home defeats, losing 3-2 to Southampton and 3-1 to West Bromwich Albion.

The decision means West Ham are searching for their fourth permanent manager since David Moyes left London Stadium in May 2024. Julen Lopetegui was dismissed after six months, while Graham Potter lasted eight months before Nuno took charge. Despite suffering relegation, Nuno retained his position into the new season, but consecutive home losses proved decisive. Relegation and losses exceeding £104m forced the club to sell players over the summer, bringing in about £150m in transfer revenue through departures including Mateus Fernandes and James Ward-Prowse.

West Ham reinvested part of that revenue by paying a Championship record £22m to Celtic for midfielder Arne Engels and £12m for Norwegian winger Edvin Austbo, alongside free-agent additions Joel Veltman and Manor Solomon. Parker brings previous Championship promotion experience with both Bournemouth and Burnley. Whoever takes the helm faces intense pressure to deliver an immediate return to the Premier League as the club attempts to stabilize its campaign at the midway point of the season.