West Ham United have confirmed the appointment of Scott Parker as their new head coach.
Parker, who made 129 appearances for the Irons as a player, has penned a two-and-a-half year deal at the London Stadium.
The 46-year-old has three promotions on his CV with Fulham, Bournemouth and Burnley, and West Ham are aiming to make an immediate return to the Premier League.
“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,” Parker told the club.
“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.”
West Ham head to Ewood Park this weekend to face Blackburn Rovers in the Championship.
Interim CEO Karim Virani added: “We are delighted to welcome Scott and his family back to the club. He is someone who is held in high regard at West Ham United and throughout the game, and he was the unanimous choice of the Board to become our new head coach.
“He has fantastic experience and pedigree across an outstanding playing and coaching career, a clear and proven track record of success as a head coach in the EFL Championship, and a deep understanding of West Ham United, its identity and our loyal and passionate fanbase.
“We believe that all of these factors together make him the right man to lead us forward and help the club to achieve our objectives this season and beyond. Scott has the complete support of everyone here and, from the conversations we have had with him already, we believe he will represent West Ham United and our supporters in a way that we can all be extremely proud of.”
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