AFC Bournemouth has confirmed the appointment of Gary O’Neil as their permanent manager on an 18-month deal, with an option to extend for another year.
The 39-year-old took charge of the Cherries after Scott Parker was sacked following a 9-0 loss to Liverpool at the end of August.
Since then, O’Neil has lead Bournemouth was nominated for September’s Premier League Manager of the Month after a six-game unbeaten streak and has steered Bournemouth to 14th in the table.
The Englishman has taken charge of twelve games as interim manager, including a memorable 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest and two back-to-back wins over Everton in the Carabao Cup and Premier League before the World Cup break.
It was reported that the Cherries were in advanced talks with former Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa, but after talks broke down Bournemouth have landed on Gary O’Neil as their next permanent manager.
In their statement, the club said: “AFC Bournemouth chief executive Neill Blake told afcb.co.uk: "Gary did an excellent job on an interim basis and the board are delighted to make his position as head coach permanent.
"We have been impressed with the way he has conducted himself from the moment he joined the club and feel he has earned this opportunity to continue to take the team and the club forward.
"Gary has worked tirelessly and diligently on the training pitch and the players have responded by producing some excellent performances and results”
His first game as manager will be against Newcastle on the 21st of December, and his first league game in charge will be against Chelsea on boxing day.