What next for Scott Parker?

At the end of last season, Scott Parker was the darling of the English game: he had picked up the Football Writers’ player of the season award, won numerous plaudits for some battling displays in a West Ham side rooted to the bottom of the table, and appeared to be sought after by a number of climbs in the higher echelons of the top tier. Fast forward two months and Parker is still at the Hammers and the expected clamour for his signature has failed to materialise. So what now for the former Charlton, Chelsea and Newcastle man, asks Richard Bourne.

Back in May, the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool were all considered potential suitors for the England midfielder. However, since Parker trudged off the pitch with his West Ham team mates following their defeat to Sunderland on the last day of the season, the only firm offer his club has received for him has been from Fenerbahce: a move clearly of little interest to the player as he awaited the call from a Premier League club, with Spurs apparently his preferred destination.

However, despite usually being one of the more active managers in the transfer window, Harry Redknapp has yet to pick up the phone to Messrs Gold and Sullivan about the possibility of bringing Parker to White Hart Lane. The past few days have seen movement however, although not from the clubs from which it was expected. It now appears that Parker is wanted by two sides who would present him with very different prospects: Aston Villa and Chelsea.

The interest in Parker from his former club Chelsea appears to have stemmed from the injury to Michael Essien which looks set to confine the Ghanaian to the sidelines for six months. The signing of Luka Modric clearly remains a priority, but having initially considered a season-long loan move for Parker, it now appears that the Blues are prepared to stump up the £8 million required to secure his permanent signature. But would this be a good move for Parker?

In the 18 months Parker spent at Stamford Bridge following his £10 million move from Charlton in January 2004 he made just 15 appearances, and his fear must be that his will again be forced into a bit-part role. In spite of the injury to Essien, Parker will still be competing with the likes of Ramires, Frank Lampard, Yossi Benayoun and Mikel John Obi for a starting berth in central midfield, with the likely arrival of Modric likely to make it even harder for him to play a prominent role in Andre Villas Boas’s side.

The lure of the West London club is obvious though: Champions League football and the chance to compete for silverware, something that Parker has yet to really do in his career. Given their struggles last season, this is unlikely to be the case at Villa. However if Parker were to move to the West Midlands, it seems probable that Alex McLeish would build his team around Parker in central midfield given the clubs current dearth of midfield creativity. The regular first team football the move would guarantee would also surely be in the best interests of his career with the national side.

Wherever Parker ends up, it probably won’t be where he had in mind being at the end of last season. Unfortunately for him, his age appears to have been a barrier to securing the move that he craves. At 30 years old, he probably has three to four years left at the top of his game, and for £8 million most clubs want to invest in a longer term prospect who fits in with their ethos of buying a player who can retain some resale value. Whilst Chelsea appears to be his favoured option, he may like to think back to his last spell at Stamford Bridge before putting pen to paper again.