Scott Parker embarks on a new mission at AFC Bournemouth

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Scott Parker has been appointed as the new manager of AFC Bournemouth as the Cherries look to regain their Premier League status.

Parker has signed a three-year deal with Bournemouth replacing Jonathan Woodgate in the role, who leaves the club following the expiration of his short-term contract.

The former Fulham midfielder left his post at the Cottagers’ by mutual consent after failing to keep the Londoners in the Premier League last season.

Despite only being in management for two and a half years, Parker has a play-off final win to boost his CV after guiding Fulham into the top-flight in 2020.

However, relegation last season has left Parker seeking a new challenge but at Bournemouth, the ultimate goal will be very familiar; achieve promotion but unlike his past venture maintain top-flight status the following season.

Fast rise for Parker

Parker’s relatively quick rise in management has not gone unnoticed by fellow managerial greats.

The 40-year-old joined Fulham as the interim boss midway through the 2019 campaign and despite being relegated, reinvigorated a team that was destined to go down due to a poor start.

The following campaign saw Parker finish just two points off automatic promotion before guiding the Cottagers to a historic victory over West-London rivals Brentford in the play-off finals to regain a place in the top-flight.

London-born Parker received praise from Sir Alex Ferguson, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola in the past year for the style of play he has tried to implement into his teams.

Yet with praise and recognition, comes the expectation to succeed and critics have questioned Parker for the way the Cottagers were relegated without much of a fight.

Fulham started the season leaking goals leading to the 40-year-old changing tactics to stem the flow.

The Cottagers started to concede less and managed to take points from Premier League giants such as Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham and Leicester.

However, the failure to convert the chances they created was the main reason Fulham returned to the Championship, with only Sheffield United scoring less than them.

The departure of Parker seemed to be inevitable. Owner of Prost International and Fulham Beat Writer Steve Clare believes the decision is to the benefit of both sides.

“It’s a good move for both Fulham and Parker.

“It was obvious that his heart wasn’t really in the task of keeping Fulham up for the last few months. That lack of passion seeped onto the pitch, although of course, Parker can’t take the blame for the players’ individual apathy.

“His tactics were often naive, however, that’s not to say that with a different player set and in a lower league that those tactics won’t succeed.

“Bournemouth looks like a good fit for him and he has some very capable players to work with.”

A good match for Parker and Bournemouth

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Bournemouth have been long-term admirers of Parker and he was in the frame to replace Eddie Howe if Fulham failed to gain promotion in 2020.

This comes as Parker likes to play possession-based football similar to the style that club icon Howe brought in with him.

The Englishman has also proven he has the ability to coach a team to be more defensively stable and conceding goals has been the Cherries’ Achilles heel in recent years.

Though relatively new to management, Parker has more managerial experience than Bournemouth’s previous two managers combined and could be able to transform the Cherries from play-off contenders to title challengers.

Yet one of the biggest challenges the new Bournemouth manager faces is trying to keep ahold of the teams’ star players.

Arnaut Danjuma, Dominic Solanke, Phillip Billing and David Brooks all excelled in the latter stages of the season and have undoubtedly drawn attention from the top-flight teams and abroad.

Danjuma won the AFC Bournemouth Player of the Season award and was also named in the Championship Team of the Season, scoring 17 goals and providing seven assists.

The Dutchman has admitted he may seek a move away from the South Coast as he feels he has outgrown the Championship.

Interest has been reported from the Netherlands and Germany with the Bundesliga’s Wolfsburg known admirers.

Parker will have to work his magic to persuade his star assets to stay with the club and if that is not possible then he will have to work quickly to recruit successors with the funds available to him.

The Cherries kickstart their season by hosting the relegated West Bromwich Albion on August 7th, and while the appointment of Parker is a signal intent from the Bournemouth board, the 40-year-old will have to prove his credentials quickly on the South Coast as promotion is the minimum expectation.

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