Carlton Cole: Burnley are destined for relegation – but they won’t sack Scott Parker

Former Chelsea and West Ham striker Carlton Cole believes that Burnley are destined to be playing Championship football next season in a blunt assessment of the Clarets’ Premier League credentials.

Speaking to 10bet – the leading football betting site, Cole labelled the challenge of keeping the Lancashire club in the top flight as “a big task” for his former West Ham team-mate and current Burnley boss Scott Parker and believes that the 45-year-old Englishman will be looking to keep managing in England’s top tier.

 “Burnley will be playing Championship football next season,” said Cole.  “Listen, I love Scotty, but I think this is a big task for him.

“Scott Parker is a good friend of mine and I think he’s a great manager, but he hasn’t proved himself in the Premier League just yet. I think he wants a proper team to go and do that with.”

Opportunity

Cole has tipped Parker to remain in charge of the club regardless of their fate, but told his pal that he will need to find himself another opportunity managing in the Premier League.

“Burnley will stick with him even if they do get relegated,” he added. I think he needs another job that’s going to help him get to the next level.

“He went abroad too, another one who went abroad and applied his trade. But with Scotty, I think he’s gagging for a proper opportunity in the Premier League, where he’s got a good amount of money to work with and climb up the table and challenge for something, and not just avoid relegation.”

It remains to be seen whether Parker will be given such an opportunity in the Premier League.

With two relegations under his belt at Fulham (18/19 and 20/21 seasons) and a potential third with Burnley, will the former Chelsea and Spurs midfielder be a manager that a club takes a punt on in the future?