West Ham sack Nuno Espirito Santo after successive home defeats

West Ham United have dismissed Nuno Espirito Santo as head coach following successive home defeats that left them eighth in the Championship. The club announced his immediate departure on Tuesday, November 3, ending his tenure during the campaign to regain the Premier League place lost at the end of last season.

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In its statement, West Ham said the board had reviewed the opening stages of the league season and concluded that a coaching change was needed to keep the club's objectives within reach. Assistant head coach Rui Pedro Silva and goalkeeper coach Rui Barbosa have also departed. The club thanked all three for their work.

Mark Noble, Steve Potts and Gerard Prenderville have been assigned temporary responsibility for preparing the squad ahead of Wednesday evening's away fixture against Cardiff City. West Ham said recruitment of a new head coach was already in progress and that it would not comment further until an appointment had been confirmed. No permanent successor was named in the announcement.

Sky Sports reported that Nuno's dismissal came after 13 Championship matches, with West Ham six points behind the leaders and four short of the automatic promotion positions. Their latest setback was Saturday's 3-1 loss to West Bromwich Albion at London Stadium. That followed a 3-2 home defeat by Southampton, leaving them with six goals conceded across those two games.

According to BBC Sport, Nuno had taken charge in September 2025, replacing Graham Potter, and remained in the job despite relegation. The club's search now means it is seeking a fourth permanent manager since David Moyes departed in May 2024. Julen Lopetegui and Potter both held the position between Moyes and Nuno.

BBC Sport's report also traced an uneven start to the current season. West Ham went without a victory in their first three league fixtures before winning four consecutive matches in the first half of September, scoring 16 goals and moving to the top of the table. Only two league wins followed that sequence, at Lincoln City and Swansea City, before the latest home defeats.