LONDON: West Ham fired coach Nuno Espírito Santo on Tuesday, just 13 games into its second-tier campaign to win promotion back to the Premier League.

The 2023 Conference League winner, which was relegated from the Premier League last season, sits eighth in the 24-team Championship after losing back-to-back home games against Southampton and West Bromwich Albion.

“Following a thorough review of the start to the EFL Championship season, the board of directors believe that a change is necessary at this time in order to ensure that the club's objectives and expectations remain on track,” West Ham said in a statement.

Club great Mark Noble is among three coaches put in charge of the first team ahead of a game Wednesday at Cardiff.

Nuno lasted 13 months after replacing Graham Potter at a club that was once renowned for loyalty to managers but has now fired three head coaches since Conference League winner David Moyes left in 2024.

Nuno previously coached Wolverhampton, Tottenham and Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, Porto and Rio Ave in his native Portugal, plus Valencia and Saudi club Al-Ittihad.