West Ham United have sacked head coach Nuno Espírito Santo following a disappointing start to their Championship campaign, bringing his seven-month spell at the London club to an end.
The decision comes as the Hammers struggle to regain their footing after suffering relegation from the Premier League at the end of the 2025/26 season.
Nuno, who was appointed on September 27, 2025, on a three-year contract, initially arrived at the London Stadium to rescue West Ham from the threat of relegation after replacing Graham Potter.
However, he was unable to prevent the club from dropping out of the English top flight. Despite the relegation, the Portuguese manager was retained to lead the team’s return-to-the-Premier-League campaign.
That responsibility has now ended following a disappointing run of results that has seen West Ham slip to eighth in the Championship standings. Consecutive home defeats against Southampton and West Bromwich Albion further increased the pressure on the former Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest manager.
Confirming his departure in a statement on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, West Ham said the board had reviewed the team’s performance at the start of the season and concluded that a managerial change was necessary to keep the club’s objectives on course.
Nuno’s exit also brings an end to the spells of assistant head coach Rui Pedro Silva and goalkeeper coach Rui Barbosa, who have both left the club.
West Ham thanked the three members of the coaching staff for their commitment and contributions, while confirming that the search for a new head coach was already underway.
Former club captain Mark Noble, alongside Steve Potts and Gerard Prenderville, will take temporary charge of preparations ahead of Wednesday’s Championship encounter with Cardiff City.
For Nuno, the dismissal represents another difficult chapter in a managerial career that has taken him through several clubs in England and Europe. Having previously guided Wolverhampton Wanderers to promotion to the Premier League and established them as a competitive top-flight side, he will now face questions about his next move and how quickly he can secure another managerial opportunity.
For West Ham, the immediate challenge is finding a manager capable of restoring confidence, improving results and keeping their promotion ambitions alive. With the club aiming to return to the Premier League at the first attempt, the next appointment could prove crucial to its short-term future.