West Ham United have officially unveiled the appointment of former Fulham manager Scott Parker as their new men’s first-team head coach.
Parker succeeds Nuno Espírito Santo, who was sacked yesterday, as reported by The Intercept Nigeria, after failing to meet the Hammers’ expectations in their first season in the English Championship since being relegated from the top flight.
According to the club, the 46-year-old has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract at the London Stadium and will take charge of the team for Wednesday evening’s EFL Championship fixture against Cardiff City.
Parker will be assisted by first-team coaches Steve Potts, Gerard Prenderville and Billy Lepine, while Mark Noble will also work closely with his former team-mate. Further details of the permanent structure of Parker’s backroom staff will be announced in due course.
Parker is a former West Ham player, having made 129 appearances for the club between 2007 and 2011.
Parker said: “It is a very proud moment for me to step into this role and return to a Club that means so much to me and my family. A lot of very fond memories of my time here – four years of probably the best football I played in my career.
“There was a warmth, a love, a feeling that I probably didn’t have anywhere else. There was something which stood out constantly and that was the relationship that I built up with the fanbase here. That rapport and respect, that I felt instantly.
“More than anything, this is an opportunity that I am very excited about. I feel privileged and honoured to be the guy that wants to lead us back to the Premier League and be the Head Coach of this Football Club at this moment in time.
“My energy levels, my enthusiasm, my desire, my passion – it’s absolutely running through and that’s the feeling I had as soon as there was a conversation that this was possible. That’s exactly why I’m here and why I want to be here.
“From my first calls with Karim [Virani] and Daniel [Křetínský], it was clear they have a shared vision and desire to return the Club to the Premier League as quickly as possible. I share that ambition and I’m very confident we can achieve it.
“I’ve been in this division three times and I’ve got out of this division three times. This is a tough division, there is absolutely no denying it. And I will use every ounce of my experience, every ounce of my knowledge, to have an understanding of what we’re going to need to bring consistency.
“And that’s going to be the key word for all of us really. The consistency of what we do and the commitment levels that we go to will give us the best opportunity to get out of this division and be the team that we can be.”
