West Ham United Appoint Parker As New Head Coach

West Ham United have named Scott Parker as their new head coach on a two-and-a-half-year contract. The 46-year-old former West Ham midfielder succeeds Nuno Espirito Santo, who was dismissed on Tuesday after a disappointing start to the Championship season.

Parker, who has won promotion from the Championship with Fulham, Bournemouth and Burnley, has been out of work since leaving Burnley in April after their relegation from the Premier League. His first match in charge will be Wednesday’s Championship trip to Cardiff City.

West Ham said first-team coaches Steve Potts, Gerard Prenderville and Billy Lepine will assist Parker, while sporting director Mark Noble — Parker’s former team-mate — will work closely with him. Further backroom appointments are expected in the coming days and weeks.

Parker described the appointment as a proud moment and said returning to a club that means a great deal to him and his family was special. He spoke of the warmth and rapport he felt with West Ham supporters and said he was excited, privileged and honoured to lead the club’s attempt to return to the Premier League.

He added that his energy, enthusiasm, desire and passion had been clear from the first conversations and that he wanted the job for that reason.

Parker also said talks with interim chief executive Karim Virani and largest shareholder Daniel Kretinsky had shown a shared determination to get West Ham back into the Premier League as quickly as possible. He noted that he had been in the Championship three times and won promotion three times, while acknowledging the division is difficult, and said he would use his experience and knowledge to pursue consistency.

Virani said Parker was the board’s unanimous choice. He cited Parker’s high standing at West Ham and across football, his playing and coaching career, his promotion record in the Championship and his understanding of the club, its identity and its supporters.

Virani said Parker had the complete support of everyone at the club and that the board believed he would represent West Ham and its fans in a manner they could be proud of.

Parker takes over a club that has had an uneven start to life back in the Championship after relegation last season. West Ham are eighth, six points behind leaders Middlesbrough, and have lost their past two home games — 3-2 to Southampton and 3-1 to West Bromwich Albion — after being among the pre-season favourites for promotion. They have won two of their past six matches and have slipped from second place.

He is West Ham’s fourth permanent manager since David Moyes left the London Stadium in May 2024.