Scott Parker has been confirmed as Bournemouth’s new manager after leaving Fulham by mutual consent.
The 40-year-old’s departure from Craven Cottage was swiftly followed by confirmation that he will succeed Jonathan Woodgate at the south coast club on a three-year deal.
“I believe this is the perfect fit for both parties,” Parker told Bournemouth’s website.
“I’m familiar with Bournemouth because of my relationship with Harry Arter. It’s a football club I know well from watching him over the years.
Welcome to #afcb, Scott Parker 👔 pic.twitter.com/r9tMgZiRM0
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) June 28, 2021
“The ethos, the reputation, the journey and the challenge here is something that’s very exciting for me and my staff. We want to build a team the fans can be proud of and one they feel represents them. We can’t wait to get started.”
The former midfielder took caretaker charge of Fulham in February 2019, and was unable to keep the west London side out of the relegation zone. After being appointed manager on a permanent basis in May that year, Fulham secured promotion back to the top flight after beating Brentford in the play-off final.
However, Fulham’s Premier League return lasted less than a year, with their relegation confirmed by a 2-0 home defeat to Burnley, with three games to play.
As well as Parker the following members of the coaching team have also left Fulham: Matt Wells (first-team coach), Rob Burch (goalkeeping coach), Alastair Harris (head of sports science), Jonathan Hill (first-team match analyst) and Charlie Moore (lead physical performance coach).
The Fulham chairman, Shahid Khan, said: “Through promotion and relegation alike, Scott has always enjoyed my support as our head coach. Scott’s departure does nothing to shake my confidence, however. We will hire a new head coach who is capable of achieving our goal of promotion and will be committed to Fulham and its supporters. And we will field a squad that will respond, compete and win. Onward.”