By the end of his career, 32-year-old Scott Parker may come close to playing for every professional team in London.
No joke.
Reports this morning suggest that the tenacious Tottenham Hotspur star could well be on his way to West London, with Queens Park Rangers and Fulham fighting it out to land the industrious central midfielder.
QPR are said to have the advantage, with Spurs apparently accepting a second bid from the Loftus Road side as they aim to bolster their Championship squad for an instant return to the Premier League.
But PL side Fulham may want Parker to lead the way at Craven Cottage. And that could be problematic for Harry Redknapp and QPR. So, Parker has down the rounds in London, working his way across the capital through various moves over the years.
He came up through Charlton Athletic’s ranks and shone as a youngsters coring spectacular goals. He then got a $15 million move to Chelsea in 2004. Following an ill-advised move to Newcastle, Parker returned to the capital and becoming club captain and fans favorite at West Ham United after a $11 million switch in 2007. He stayed there for four years before joining Tottenham for $9 million in 2011. Parker certainly loves to play in his hometown but where will he go? QPR or Fulham?
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Parker has some affinity to Redknapp. He signed him at Spurs and often lauded his impact, leading to Parker featuring prominently for England at Euro 2012. There’s no doubt Parker likes playing under Redknapp but does he really want to drop down to the Championship at this stage of his career?
One more chance to establish himself at yet another London club in the Premier League would appeal to Parker. It’s the dream of every player to play in the PL week in, week out.
Fulham are good at drafting in former internationals who are coming towards the end of their careers. The likes of John Arne Riise, Danny Murphy, Dimitar Berbatov and others prove that. Small transfer fees and big wages have been their specialty in the past, will new owner Shadid Khan keep that trend going?
But back to Parker, rewinding to before AVB arrived at Spurs and even for most of last season he was an integral part of a side pushing for the top four. Yet Parker’s 2013-13 season was ravaged by injury and the arrival of Paulinho, Etienne Capoue and Nacer Chadli this summer will see him move further down the pecking order at White Hart Lane.
Wherever the England international ends up, looks like Parker will play for his fifth professional team in London. There aren’t many players who can say they’ve done that. Some achievement.