​West Ham have sacked manager Nuno Espirito Santo following back-to-back defeats in the Championship and are close to appointing Scott Parker as his replacement. The Hammers’ promotion campaign has stalled following the home losses to Southampton and West Brom at the London Stadium, with the club sitting eighth after 13 games. Nuno, who oversaw West Ham’s relegation from the Premier League last season, had been expected to deliver an instant return to the top-flight. Former West Ham midfielder Parker, who has been out of work since leaving Burnley at the end of last season, is among the candidates to replace Nuno. A club statement said: “West Ham can confirm that men’s first-team head coach Nuno Espírito Santo has left his position with immediate effect.“Following a thorough review of the start to the EFL Championship season, the board of directors believe that a change is necessary at this time in order to ensure that the club’s objectives and expectations remain on track.” Former West Ham captain Mark Noble, along with Steve Potts and Gerard Prenderville, will take temporary charge for Wednesday night’s trip to Cardiff. The club added that the search for a new head coach is underway, with Nuno’s assistant, Rui Pedro Silva, and goalkeeper coach, Rui Barbosa, also departing. “West Ham would like to thank Nuno, Rui and Rui for their hard work and commitment during their time at the club, and wish them all the very best for the future,” the club said. Scott Parker is among the candidates to replace Nuno at West Ham (Getty)Nuno, the former Wolves, Tottenham and Nottingham Forest boss, replaced Graham Potter at the London Stadium in September 2025 and had signed a three-year contract. But the club’s 13-year stay in the top-flight came to an end as they finished 18th and were relegated to the Championship on the final day of the season, with Tottenham staying up instead. West Ham had opted in May to stick with Nuno, while they retained the services of captain Jarrod Bowen to boost their promotion bid and also secured the Championship record signing of Arne Engels from Celtic for £22m. The Hammers appeared to be on track for a Premier League return when they thrashed Wrexham 6-0 at the start of September, but that has been followed by just two wins in seven games. West Ham fell to back-to-back defeats against West Brom (Getty)Fans turned on Nuno following the 3-1 defeat to West Brom on Saturday, as many of the 61,125-capacity crowd turned for the exits before full-time following a third home defeat in seven. Former England international Parker has previously secured promotion from the Championship on three occasions, with Fulham, Bournemouth and Burnley. Parker’s former West Ham team-mate Noble could join him in the dugout at the London Stadium following Wednesday’s game at Cardiff. West Ham currently hold the final spot for the expanded Championship play-offs and are four points below Swansea in the race for automatic prom