West Ham United sack Espírito Santo with immediate effect
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Abdullateef Fowewe
West Ham United have sacked head coach Nuno Espírito Santo with immediate effect, the club confirmed on Tuesday, 3 November 2026.
The Portuguese coach, who took charge in September 2025, departs after a disappointing start to the Championship season.
West Ham currently sit eighth in the table, six points behind leaders Middlesbrough, following consecutive home defeats to Southampton (3-2) and West Bromwich Albion (3-1).
In a statement on Tuesday, the club said, “West Ham United 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.”
Assistant head coach Rui Pedro Silva and goalkeeper coach Rui Barbosa have also left the club.
Mark Noble, Steve Potts and Gerard Prenderville will take temporary charge for Wednesday’s Championship fixture away at Cardiff City.
Nuno Espírito Santo, 52, was appointed on 27 September 2025 as the replacement for Graham Potter.
He inherited a side already struggling in the Premier League and was unable to prevent relegation at the end of the 2025-26 season West Ham’s first drop into the second tier since 2011.
Despite the relegation, the club kept faith with Nuno for the Championship campaign, tasking him with an immediate return to the Premier League.
The early part of the 2026-27 season showed promise: West Ham won six of their opening 11 league matches losing just once in that stretch and briefly sat top of the table after a heavy win over Wrexham in September, with Nuno named Championship Manager of the Month.
Form then dipped. The Hammers have won only two of their last six games, and the recent back-to-back home losses to promotion rivals proved decisive.
Co-owner Daniel Křetínský is understood to have made the final call.
Nuno’s overall record at West Ham stood at roughly 53 games with around 20 wins approximately 38% win rate.
He previously managed Wolverhampton Wanderers with distinction, had shorter spells at Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest, and also coached in Portugal and Saudi Arabia.
West Ham were widely regarded as favourites for automatic promotion this season
