West Ham United have spoken to John Heitinga about becoming their next head coach, but sporting director Mark Noble is understood to be pushing for the appointment of Scott Parker instead, according to The Athletic.
The club are searching for a replacement for Nuno, who was dismissed on Tuesday after West Ham’s 3-1 defeat by West Brom on Saturday.
Heitinga held discussions with West Ham officials both before and after that match. He is open to returning to London to take charge, although no agreement has been reached and there is opposition to his appointment within the club.
Noble, who played for West Ham between 2007 and 2011 and is regarded as a club legend, has reportedly told owner Daniel Kretinsky that he does not support the move for Heitinga. He has instead recommended Parker to the club’s majority shareholder.
Parker made 129 appearances for West Ham during his four-year spell with the club. In management, he has guided Fulham, AFC Bournemouth and Burnley to promotion to the Premier League.
Negotiations with Parker are well advanced, but the appointment has not yet been completed. Noble will oversee the team on a temporary basis alongside Steve Potts and Gerard Prenderville for Wednesday night’s Championship match away to Cardiff City.
West Ham were relegated from the Premier League last season and currently sit eighth in the Championship. They have 22 points from 13 matches, six points behind leaders Middlesbrough.
Heitinga already has experience of working at West Ham. He was an assistant coach under then-manager David Moyes from September 2023 until June 2024.
Since leaving that role, the former Netherlands international has worked in both England and the Netherlands. He was assistant coach to Arne Slot at Liverpool before taking charge of Ajax, where he was dismissed last season.
Earlier this year, Heitinga joined Thomas Frank’s coaching staff at Tottenham Hotspur as an assistant coach, but remained in the role for only a month. He has been without a club since leaving Tottenham in February.
