West Ham United dismissed head coach Nuno Espírito Santo on November 3,2026. The club says recruitment is under way and has put Mark Noble, Steve Potts and Gerard Prenderville in temporary charge of preparations for the Cardiff City fixture on November 4. BBC Sport reports advanced talks with Scott Parker; the club statement does not confirm his appointment.
The change comes immediately before an away league match, leaving two separate questions for supporters: who leads the next preparations, and who takes the permanent job. West Ham has answered the first by naming the temporary trio. It says it will make no further comment on recruitment until an appointment is confirmed.
What the club says about the change
The board says its decision followed a review of the start to the EFL Championship season and that a change was needed to meet the club’s objectives and expectations. Assistant coaches Rui Pedro Silva and Rui Barbosa have also left. This is the club’s stated explanation; it does not disclose the private discussions behind the decision.
BBC’s report places West Ham eighth, six points behind Middlesbrough, after two wins in six matches. It describes successive home defeats by Southampton and West Bromwich Albion. That recent run supplies the sporting context for the board’s review, although neither a table position nor a short sequence of results establishes every reason for dismissing a coach.
Parker is the reported candidate; the interim staff are confirmed
BBC says it understands West Ham are in advanced talks with Parker, a former club player who has led Bournemouth and Burnley to promotion. Those credentials explain why the report matters in the Championship. Talks, however, still describe a recruitment process: the official November 3 statement names no successor.
For the immediate fixture, the official responsibility rests with Noble, Potts and Prenderville. West Ham says they are taking temporary charge of squad preparations ahead of Cardiff. That wording does not appoint any of them permanently or establish that Parker will be in the dugout for the match.
Follow the next announcement through the club
On the club fixtures page, open Cardiff City away at Cardiff City Stadium to follow the November 4 fixture. For the permanent coaching decision, use Latest News and open the club’s appointment announcement when it appears. These are separate official destinations for the match details and recruitment update.
The practical position is therefore clear while recruitment continues: Nuno and two assistants have left, the interim trio handles Cardiff preparations, and Parker’s possible appointment remains attributed to BBC’s reporting. A club announcement naming the next head coach would change that last part of the guide; the departure itself is already official.
Editorial reporting from the linked official records and attributed public reporting.
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