West Ham United have sacked head coach Nuno Espírito Santo with immediate effect following a disappointing start to their English Championship campaign, ending his spell at the London club less than 14 months after his appointment.
The club confirmed the decision on Tuesday, November 3, in a statement announcing that assistant head coach Rui Pedro Silva and goalkeeper coach Rui Barbosa had also left their positions.
West Ham said the decision followed a review of the team’s performances and results at the start of the season, with the board concluding that a managerial change was necessary to keep the club’s ambitions on course.
“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.
The Hammers added that the process of recruiting a new head coach was already underway, while thanking Nuno and his two assistants for their contributions.
The announcement comes after consecutive home defeats left West Ham eighth in the Championship table, threatening their ambition of securing an immediate return to the Premier League.
Their latest setback was a 3-1 loss to West Bromwich Albion at the London Stadium on Saturday, October 31. That result followed a 3-2 home defeat by Southampton on October 24.
Mark Noble takes temporary charge
Former West Ham captain Mark Noble will work alongside Steve Potts and Gerard Prenderville to oversee preparations for Wednesday’s away fixture against Cardiff City.
The trio have been handed temporary responsibility as the club searches for a permanent replacement.
West Ham said it would make no further comment until a new head coach had been appointed.
Reports have linked former Hammers midfielder Scott Parker with a possible return to the club. Parker, who previously managed Fulham, Bournemouth and Burnley, has experience of winning promotion from the Championship. However, West Ham have not officially confirmed an appointment or named him as their preferred candidate.
The immediate priority for the temporary coaching team will be to steady the squad and prevent further damage to West Ham’s promotion campaign.
Relegation adds pressure on Nuno’s tenure
Nuno took charge of West Ham in September 2025, replacing Graham Potter, and was initially tasked with rescuing the club from relegation.
However, he was unable to prevent the Hammers from dropping out of the Premier League at the end of the 2025-26 season, ending their 14-year stay in England’s top flight.
Despite relegation, the club retained the Portuguese manager for the Championship campaign, hoping he would guide the team back to the Premier League at the first attempt.
West Ham began the season with expectations of challenging for promotion but struggled to maintain consistency, particularly in recent home matches.
Following the defeat to West Brom, Nuno admitted that his team had fallen below expectations and needed to improve quickly.
“Many things went wrong – many, many things. It was a poor performance,” he said after the match.
He also acknowledged the growing pressure on the team, saying: “The solution is results, we have to go back to results.”
Those results ultimately proved insufficient to save his job.
Nuno’s departure leaves West Ham searching for their third permanent head coach since September 2025, while the club’s immediate challenge is to revive its promotion campaign and restore confidence among supporters.
The Hammers travel to Cardiff on Wednesday before another away fixture against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, November 7.
