Burnley will mark their return to the Premier League with a visit to Tottenham Hotspur next month.
Parker was named as successor to former Clarets boss Vincent Kompany and enjoyed an overwhelmingly successful first season in charge at Turf Moor. Despite the disappointment of missing out on the Championship title on the final day of the season, Burnley landed a return to the top flight by claiming runners-up spot and have wasted little time in boosting their ranks as they prepare to face the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and reigning champions Liverpool during the new campaign.
Permanent deals have been secured for loan stars Zian Flemming, Jaidon Anthony, Marcus Edwards and Bashir Humphreys and Lazio winger Loum Tchaouna, Feyenoord full-back Quilindschy Hartman and Karlsruhe goalkeeper Max Weiss have all come in from abroad. Axel Tuanzebe moved to Turf Moor after leaving Ipswich Town and the big surprise came when Parker completed a reported £5 million deal to sign Manchester City and England defender Kyle Walker last week.
With just over a month to go until the start of the new season, Clarets coach Cork believes the skills possessed by Parker mean he can shine in the top flight and explained the attention to detail shown by the former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder can hold him in good stead.
He told Clarets+: “He’s got that really good mix between tactical knowledge and man management. He’s been great with me at the start of my coaching journey. I’ve been going in for the coaching meetings at 9.30am, he gives me a detailed list of what players he wants to come up to the first-team, how it’s going to work with the Under-21s and what part of the session they’ll play. I’m really looking forward to working with him. He’s got that huge playing career that he’s had, he’s played for some great teams and been a really successful manager so far.”
Experience
Cork called time on his playing career last summer to begin his coaching journey (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)placeholder image
Cork called time on his playing career last summer to begin his coaching journey (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Cork is well-versed in what is required to succeed in the Premier League and has vast experience of battling against relegation from the top flight.
Prior to retiring last summer, the once-capped England midfielder made over 260 appearances for the Clarets and made over 300 appearances in the Premier League throughout a career spent with the likes of Swansea City and Southampton. The 36-year-old has come out on both sides of the battle of relegation - but he believes current Clarets boss Parker has enough experience to ensure his side are able to extend their Premier League stay beyond a solitary season.
He explained: “It is a big step up and I think you can see that from the last few seasons with the newly-promoted teams all going back down, so it is a difficult step up. Hopefully I can bring some experience in what it takes to stay in the league. I’ve had probably 11 seasons in the Premier League and I was part of some really tough relegation battles and a part of some really successful seasons too. I know the manager has also got that experience, so it will be good to see how he feels about how football works in the Premier League and how I feel and how I’ll be able to help the team during the season.”
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