Former Chelsea, West Ham, Fulham and Tottenham man set for management return after 16 months

Former Fulham boss Scott Parker is edging closer to a return to football management as he begins advanced talks with Burnley to replace Vincent Kompany in the dugout at Turf Moor.

The Clarets, who lost former boss Kompany to Bayern Munich, are determined to wrap up proceedings this week and make an announcement by the weekend as they begin pre-season preparations with the target of an immediate return to the Premier League next season, according to Football Insider.

Parker has been out of management for 16 months after an unsuccessful 12-game stint in charge of Belgian giants Club Brugge. During his time at the Jan Breydel Stadium he managed just two wins in total and was relieved of his duties after a 7-1 defeat on aggregate against Benfica in the last 16 of the Champions League.

However, the former England midfielder is renowned for his leadership skills and is viewed as an experienced operator in the Championship, having achieved promotion with both Fulham and Bournemouth.

In his first stint in management with the Cottagers he had inherited a recently-relegated team, but was able to steer them to an immediate return to the top-flight via the play-offs after a 2-1 play-off final triumph over Brentford.

Relegation and a move to Bournemouth followed in the next 12 months and he was also able to achieve the feat of promotion with the Cherries during the 2020/21 campaign as the goals of Dominic Solanke, Kieffer Moore and others fired the Dorset side back into the top-flight in second place.

Parker’s reign at the Vitality came to an end just four games into the next Premier League season, when he described his side as ‘unequipped’ to deal with the challenges of the top-flight after an underwhelming transfer window and a record-equalling 9-0 loss to Liverpool on matchday four.

However, the Clarets board still see Parker as the ideal character to steady the ship in Kompany’s absence and get the club back on track. Parker’s teams are renowned for playing an exciting brand of football, and based on his playing days he is regarded as a strong leader in the dressing room after spells as captain of Newcastle United, West Ham, Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur.

Parker’s potential arrival would likely come as a blow to former West Ham striker Craig Bellamy, who served as Kompany’s assistant and former Chelsea and Everton boss Frank Lampard. Both had been among the favourites to take the post in recent weeks, according to the bookmakers, though it appears the Burnley board have gone in a different direction.