The key facts

  • Scott Parker has become West Ham's head coach, signing a two-and-a-half-year contract
  • Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked on Tuesday after a start that left the team eighth in the Championship
  • Parker is the club's fourth permanent manager since May 2024

Parker returns to West Ham

West Ham sacked Nuno Espirito Santo on Tuesday and already on Wednesday announced the appointment of Scott Parker as head coach, AFP reports. The 46-year-old Parker, a former England midfielder, spent four seasons at West Ham as a player and has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract. “This is a very proud moment for me — to return to a club that means a great deal to me and my family,” Parker said.

Context of the appointment

Nuno, 52, led the team last season, when it was relegated from the Premier League, and stayed at the club hoping to bring it back to the top flight. However, after 13 rounds West Ham sit only eighth in the second division, six points behind leaders Middlesbrough, even though many considered the team a favourite for automatic promotion before the season. “I feel it is a privilege and an honour to be the one who brings us back to the Premier League. I have worked in this division three times and come out of it three times,” said Parker, who will take charge of the team for the first match in the away game against Cardiff on Wednesday.

Frequent managerial changes

Parker is already the fourth permanent manager of West Ham since May 2024, when David Moyes left the club: Julen Lopetegui was sacked after six months in charge, Graham Potter after eight. As a manager, Parker led Bournemouth and Burnley out of the Championship, and also worked with Fulham and Club Brugge; his last job was at Burnley, which he left in April after the team's relegation from the Premier League was confirmed. The club's chief executive Karim Virani called him “the unanimous choice of the board” for the head coach position.