Burnley have appointed Scott Parker as the club’s new head coach.
The Athletic reported earlier this week Burnley were in advanced talks with Parker, after the 43-year-old had been on an initial shortlist to replace Vincent Kompany at Turf Moor alongside Frank Lampard and Liam Rosenior.
A number of other candidates including Ruud Van Nistelrooy and acting head coach Craig Bellamy also held talks before Parker emerged as the leading candidate.
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The former West Ham United and England midfielder has been out of management since leaving Club Bruges in March 2023, having won just two of his 12 matches at the Belgian club.
“I’m really pleased to be here,” he said upon signing a three-year deal with the club. “I have been speaking with Burnley for some time now which has been a positive thing as I’ve now got a real feel for the people around the club.
“To be around the training ground now you start to get that feeling again and I can’t wait to get on the training field and start work.
“For us to be successful this year is the most important thing. We have to win and build a team the fans and club can be proud of. This team can represent every single one of them in that aspect and that’s the aim.”
Burnley’s head coach position has been vacant since Kompany departed to take charge of Bayern Munich in May.
Kompany guided Burnley to the Championship title in 2022-23 with a 101-point season, but the club were relegated from the Premier League last season.
Parker has twice won promotion from the Championship, via the play-offs with Fulham in 2019-20, and through the automatic promotion places with Bournemouth in 2021-22.
Fulham were relegated the following season and Parker subsequently departed, while he was sacked just four matches into Bournemouth’s return to the top flight after a 9-0 defeat at Liverpool, after which he said his side were “unequipped” for the Premier League.
Burnley begin the 2024-25 season away to fellow newly-relegated Luton Town.
(Photo: Burnley FC)
