West Ham United have appointed former captain, Scott Parker. as their new head coach, a day after sacking Nuno Espírito Santo.

The club announced Parker’s appointment in a statement on its website on Wednesday, confirming 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 club after spells in charge of Fulham, AFC Bournemouth and Burnley, all of which he guided to promotion from the Championship to the Premier League.

West Ham said Parker would be assisted by first-team coaches Steve Potts, Gerard Prenderville and Billy Lepine, while former team-mate Mark Noble would also work closely with him. The club said further details about the permanent structure of his backroom staff would be announced in due course.

Parker achieved promotion with Fulham in 2020, Bournemouth in 2022 and Burnley in 2025. He also won the EFL Championship Manager of the Season award in 2024/25 with Burnley.

He made 129 appearances for West Ham between 2007 and 2011, winning the club’s Hammer of the Year award three consecutive times. 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 Bobby Moore, to win the honour.

Speaking on his return, Parker described the appointment as a proud moment.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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 had announced Nuno’s departure on Tuesday, saying the decision followed a review of the club’s start to the Championship season.

The club also confirmed the departure of assistant head coach Rui Pedro Silva and goalkeeping coach Rui Barbosa.

Nuno was appointed in September 2025 after leaving Nottingham Forest, but his time at West Ham ended following the club’s review of its performances.