West Ham appoint Scott Parker as head coach following Nuno Espírito Santo's dismissal

West Ham have appointed Scott Parker as head coach after Nuno Espírito Santo was sacked on Tuesday. Parker has agreed a two-and-a-half year contract with the club.

The team sit eighth in the Championship and the club said they hope Parker can spark a revival after defeats in their past two matches. West Ham had been beaten at home by West Brom last Saturday, a result that preceded the change of manager.

Parker, 46, arrives with a record of promotion to the top flight, having led Burnley, Bournemouth and Fulham into the Premier League. He has overseen three promotions to the Premier League and had been out of work since leaving Burnley after their relegation from the Premier League last April.

The club had retained faith in Nuno following last season’s relegation from the Premier League but moved to replace him after the recent home defeat. The decision ended Nuno’s tenure and opened the vacancy Parker now fills.

On his appointment Parker said: “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.”

Parker also expressed personal attachment to West Ham, noting his playing past at the club and family ties, and said he was excited to return to a side for whom he made 129 appearances between 2007 and 2011. He added: “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. “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.”

Parker will take charge of his first game at Cardiff on Wednesday.