West Ham held talks with ex-Premier League star before Scott Parker decision

West Ham held talks with Heitinga before appointing Parker as manager on a two-and-a-half-year deal, but the former Spurs assistant was not chosen despite his interest.

West Ham appointed Scott Parker as manager on a two-and-a-half-year contract, 24 hours after sacking Nuno Espírito Santo following successive home defeats to Southampton and West Brom.

Before settling on Parker, the Hammers explored other options. According to The Athletic, West Ham held talks with Erik ten Hag's former assistant Ehsan Heitinga about the role both before and after the loss to West Brom. Heitinga, 42, was interested in the position, but club legend Mark Noble encouraged owner Daniel Křetínský to appoint Parker instead. Heitinga had previously served as West Ham's assistant coach under David Moyes from September 2023 to May 2024.

Parker, who has won promotion from the Championship three times as a manager with Fulham, Bournemouth and Burnley, was available as a free agent after leaving Burnley in April. He will meet his new squad on Wednesday ahead of their away match with Cardiff. In his statement, Parker expressed his pride at returning to the club where he spent four years as a player and pledged to lead West Ham back to the Premier League.