Scott Parker confirmed as Bournemouth manager after Fulham exit

Scott Parker has taken over at Bournemouth after his protracted departure from Fulham was finally confirmed on Monday night.

Parker's two-year reign at Craven Cottage has been ended by mutual consent following the club's relegation from the Premier League last month.

Two hours after his departure was announced by Fulham, Parker was confirmed as the new head coach of Championship rivals Bournemouth.

Fulham are now considering an official approach for Swansea's Steve Cooper while there is also support for Chris Wilder and former Celtic manager Neil Lennon.

Parker has been in negotiations with Fulham over the terms of his exit for nearly a fortnight and the announcement was further complicated by Bournemouth's interest.

After losing in this season's play-off semi-final to Brentford, Bournemouth wanted a manager with promotion experience to replace Jonathan Woodgate.

Parker said: “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.”

Fulham made a swift return to the Championship after finishing third-bottom, 11 points adrift of safety.

Shahid Khan, the Fulham chairman, 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.”