SAKA, ANTONY AND 10 PREMIER LEAGUE STARS HEADING TO THEIR FIRST WORLD CUP
Speaking on the Wrighty’s House Podcast, Ian Wright has praised Scott Parker for his handling of Fulham winger Ademola Lookman after the RB Leipzig loanee missed a crucial penalty against West Ham a few weeks ago.
Nobody needs reminding of what Lookman did against the Hammers, as he tried a feeble Panenka in the last minute against the Hammers, but Parker wasn’t willing to hang him out to dry, and since then, he’s repaid the faith that has been shown in him.
Lookman scored a vital goal against Leicester a couple of weeks ago as Fulham picked up their second win of the season, and he was again one of the Whites’ brightest performers against Liverpool, setting up Bobby Decordova-Reid for his first-half goal against the Reds.
Wright is clearly very impressed with how Lookman has been playing and with how Parker has handled the 22-year-old.
“When you listen to a manager, and this is what I say about Scott Parker, and then like I mentioned with Wenger, they see things.
“He said well he tried a penalty and we’ve seen it work, but the goalkeeper didn’t move, it’s just the same as missing a penalty if he’d blasted it over.
“The thing is, you can tell that Scott Parker has seen this guy on a daily basis, and he’s literally just backed him straight off the bat.
“Scott Parker, you’re looking at the way Fulham are playing now, and the way they played against Liverpool, and you’ve got to say that something’s happening, and long may it continue.“
Parker is really turning things around at Fulham, and his sign of faith in Lookman draws an interesting parallel with the club’s faith in the manager.
Some teams would have been tempted to sack Parker at multiple points of this season, Fulham had failed to win any of their first six league games, and sat bottom of the table, but rather than acting brashly, Tony Khan and the higher-ups at Fulham decided to keep the faith, and now they’re seeing the results.
Fulham aren’t out of the woods yet, but they’re certainly moving in the right direction, and praise like this from Wright alongside a comparison to Arsene Wenger, shows that they have the right man in charge.
