Scott Parker has been appointed the new head coach of West Ham United after agreeing a two-and-a-half-year contract at the London Stadium.
Parker succeeds Nuno Espírito Santo, who was dismissed on November 3 after 13 months in the dugout.
The 46-year-old will take charge of his first match on Wednesday night when West Ham travel to face Cardiff City in the EFL Championship, with the Hammers currently eighth in the table.
Parker ‘privileged and honoured’
In an official statement on the club website, 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.
“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 [interim CEO] Karim [Virani] and [majority shareholder] 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.”
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Virani backs ‘unanimous choice’
Meanwhile, Virani stated: “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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