West Ham United have appointed former club captain Scott Parker as their new head coach, a day after parting ways with Nuno Espírito Santo.
The Premier League club confirmed Parker’s appointment in a statement on its official website on Wednesday, announcing that the 46-year-old had signed a two-and-a-half-year contract.
Parker is expected to take charge of the team for Wednesday evening’s EFL Championship fixture against Cardiff City.
The former West Ham midfielder returns to the London Stadium following managerial spells at Fulham, AFC Bournemouth and Burnley, all of which he guided to promotion from the Championship to the Premier League.
West Ham also confirmed that Parker would work alongside first-team coaches Steve Potts, Gerard Prenderville and Billy Lepine, while former team-mate Mark Noble would work closely with him. The club added that further details about the permanent structure of his backroom staff would be announced in due course.
Parker secured promotion to the Premier League with Fulham in 2020, Bournemouth in 2022 and Burnley in 2025. He also won the EFL Championship Manager of the Season award for the 2024/25 campaign after an impressive spell with Burnley.
During his playing career, Parker made 129 appearances for West Ham between 2007 and 2011, winning the club’s Hammer of the Year award for three consecutive seasons.
He also received the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award for the 2010/11 season, becoming only the second West Ham player, after club legend Bobby Moore, to receive the honour.
Speaking after his appointment, Parker described his return to the club as a proud and emotional moment, expressing his desire to lead West Ham back to the Premier League.
“It is 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. A lot of very fond memories of my time here – four years of probably the best football I played in my career,” he said.
“There was a warmth, a love, a feeling that I probably didn’t have anywhere else. There was something which stood out constantly and that was the relationship that I built up with the fanbase here. That rapport and respect, that I felt instantly.”
He added that he was excited about the opportunity and felt privileged to lead the club at a crucial stage in its history.
“More than anything, this is an opportunity that I am very excited about. I feel privileged and honoured to be the guy that wants to lead us back to the Premier League and be the Head Coach of this Football Club at this moment in time.
“My energy levels, my enthusiasm, my desire, my passion – it’s absolutely running through and that’s the feeling I had as soon as there was a conversation that this was possible. That’s exactly why I’m here and why I want to be here.”
Parker also said his discussions with the club’s leadership had convinced him that they shared the same ambition of securing an immediate return to the top flight.
“From my first calls with Karim [Virani] and Daniel [Křetínský], it was clear they have a shared vision and desire to return the Club to the Premier League as quickly as possible. I share that ambition and I’m very confident we can achieve it,” he said.
Highlighting his experience of managing in the Championship, Parker expressed confidence in his ability to guide West Ham out of the division for a fourth time.
“I’ve been in this division three times and I’ve got out of this division three times. This is a tough division, there is absolutely no denying it. And I will use every ounce of my experience, every ounce of my knowledge, to have an understanding of what we’re going to need to bring consistency.
“And that’s going to be the key word for all of us really. The consistency of what we do and the commitment levels that we go to will give us the best opportunity to get out of this division and be the team that we can be,” he added.
West Ham announced Nuno’s departure on Tuesday, explaining that the decision followed a review of the club’s performances and results at the start of the Championship season.
The club also confirmed the departures of assistant head coach Rui Pedro Silva and goalkeeping coach Rui Barbosa, bringing an end to Nuno’s spell in charge.
