West Ham United have confirmed the appointment of former midfielder Scott Parker as their new head coach on a two-and-a-half-year contract.

The 46-year-old replaces Nuno Espirito Santo, who was sacked on Tuesday after the club’s disappointing start to the Championship season.

Parker previously led Fulham, Bournemouth and Burnley to promotion from the Championship, but has been out of work since leaving the Clarets in April after their relegation from the Premier League.

He will take charge of the team for the first time on Wednesday when West Ham travel to Cardiff City in the Championship.

First-team coaches Steve Potts, Gerard Prenderville and Billy Lepine will assist Parker while his former team-mate Mark Noble will also work closely with him in his role as sporting director.

The club will also make further announcements on the backroom team in the coming days and weeks.

“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,” Parker told the club website., external

“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.”

More to follow.