of the positives. Managerial career Fulham 2018–19: First-team coach and caretaker manager Shortly after his retirement from playing, Parker returned to Tottenham Hotspur, coaching their under-18 squad, as well as being announced as a club ambassador. In July 2018, Parker left Tottenham to return to Fulham, who had just gained promotion back to the Premier League, serving as first-team coach, linking up with former manager Slaviša Jokanović. He was retained in his coaching position after Claudio Ranieri was brought in to replace a dismissed Jokanović that November. Ranieri was dismissed on 28 February 2019, after Fulham had achieved no improvement and were left engaged in a relegation battle. Parker was then appointed as caretaker manager that same day, the club now sat nineteenth in the Premier League table. He took charge of the team for the first time three days later, where they lost 2–1 to visitors Chelsea. Fulham were relegated to the Championship after a disappointing returning league campaign, their relegation confirmed after a 4–1 thrashing by Watford, with five games remaining. 2019–21: Premier League promotion and relegation After speculation arose over who would replace Ranieri on a permanent basis following relegation, chairman Shahid Khan appointed Parker as manager permanently on a two-year contract. Parker was able to retain the majority of his players, despite relegation, with star striker Aleksandar Mitrović signing a new contract during the summer. During his first season in charge, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in all English sport being suspended from March until June 2020; Fulham ultimately finished the season in fourth place, missing out on automatic promotion by two points, thus qualifying to the promotion play-offs. After defeating Cardiff City over two legs in the semi-finals, they beat Brentford in the play-off final to achieve promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking. Fulham's return to the Premier League however did not begin smoothly: they lost their first four games and failed to win until November, when they beat relegation rivals West Bromwich Albion 2–0 at Craven Cottage. Towards the end of the 2020–21 season, Parker reportedly became a surprise contender for the Tottenham Hotspur managerial vacancy, after José Mourinho was dismissed, but he remained at the club. Parker's side were relegated to the Championship once again in May 2021 after suffering defeat to Burnley, who were above them in the Premier League table. Following relegation, Parker said that Fulham