Scott Parker returns to West Ham as manager on a two-and-a-half-year deal after Nuno's sacking

West Ham United have appointed Scott Parker as manager on a two-and-a-half-year contract, the club's former captain returning to lead a push for promotion back to the Premier League, Business Recorder reported on Wednesday, 4 November 2026.

Parker, 46, replaces Nuno Espirito Santo, who was sacked after back-to-back defeats left West Ham eighth in the Championship.

Why West Ham went for Parker

Parker's record in the second tier is the main reason. He has won promotion three times as a manager:

• Fulham, 2020
• Bournemouth, 2022
• Burnley, 2025

He left Burnley by mutual consent in April, days after they were relegated back to the Championship. West Ham now want the same promotion know-how applied to a squad that dropped out of the Premier League last season, the club's first relegation since 2011.

As a player he made 129 appearances for West Ham between 2007 and 2011.

"It's a very proud moment for me to step into this role and return to a club that means so much to me and my family," Parker said, adding that he felt privileged to lead the club back towards the Premier League.

Nuno's short spell

Nuno joined in September 2025 and was in charge as West Ham went down. A run of two straight defeats this autumn, with the team outside the play-off places, ended his time at the London Stadium.

What Parker inherits

Eighth place sits just outside the play-off spots, which run from third to sixth, with the top two going up automatically. With much of the 46-game season still to play, there is time to close the gap, but the Championship is long and unforgiving, and Parker's previous promotion sides were built over full seasons.

Watching in Pakistan

Championship matches usually kick off at 3pm UK time on Saturdays, which is 8pm in Pakistan now that the UK has gone back to GMT (Pakistan is five hours ahead). Evening midweek games at 7:45pm UK time start at 12:45am PKT.