By: Temiloluwa Oladele
West Ham United have dismissed head coach Nuno Espírito Santo with immediate effect, bringing his brief spell at the club to an end.
The club announced the decision on Tuesday following a review of its start to the EFL Championship season.
In a statement published on its website, the board said a change was necessary to keep the club’s objectives and expectations on track.
Assistant head coach Rui Pedro Silva and goalkeeping coach Rui Barbosa have also left the club.
West Ham thanked the three coaches for their commitment and wished them well in their future endeavours.
Nuno was appointed on September 27, 2025, on a three-year contract after leaving Nottingham Forest.
The Portuguese manager has also coached Wolverhampton Wanderers, Tottenham Hotspur, Valencia, Porto and Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad.
His most successful spell in English football came at Wolves, where he won the Championship title and secured promotion to the Premier League in 2018.
He subsequently guided the club to consecutive seventh-place finishes and the Europa League quarter-finals in the 2019/20 season.
At Al-Ittihad, he won the Saudi Pro League title in 2022, while his most recent spell at Nottingham Forest saw the club finish seventh in the Premier League and reach the FA Cup semi-finals in the 2024/25 season.
Expectations were high following his appointment at West Ham, with the club targeting an immediate return to the Premier League after relegation.
Meanwhile, Mark Noble, Steve Potts and Gerard Prenderville will oversee squad preparations ahead of Tuesday night’s Championship fixture against Cardiff City.
The club said the search for a new head coach had begun and that it would make no further comment until an appointment was confirmed.
