Leicester City have appointed Steve Cooper as their new manager on a three-year deal, the club confirmed through an official statement on Thursday.
The Foxes have been on the hunt for a new manager since Enzo Maresca left the club to join Chelsea at the start of June. Enzo Maresca joined Leicester City last summer, guiding the Midlands club to Championship title and subsequent automatic promotion to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
After a thorough process, Leicester City have decided to place their trust in Steve Cooper. The Welshman, 44, led Nottingham Forest to the Premier League via play-offs in 2022 and managed to secure their top-flight safety in the first season. After poor results and the Tricky Trees battling against relegation last season, he left the club in December 2023.
“I am really excited and proud to be appointed Leicester City’s first-team manager,” Steve Cooper said in his first official interview with the club media.
“This is a fantastic club with a rich history and passionate supporters. I am excited to work with such a talented squad and I’m looking forward to the challenge of achieving our shared ambitions in the Premier League.”
Leicester City will now look to begin planning with Cooper for the upcoming season as quickly as possible. It is the Welsh tactician’s first job since being sacked by Nottingham Forest and he will be keen to make an immediate impact at the King Power Stadium.
Graham Potter, Carlos Corberan were targeted by Leicester City
Leicester City had several managerial targets in mind before handing the job to Cooper.
Graham Potter, formerly of Brighton and Hove Albion and Chelsea, was seriously considered. Potter’s attractive style of play, development of young talents and Premier League experience may have been appealing to the Foxes’ board.
However, talks with the English tactician reportedly broke down which led to the Midlands club appointing Cooper. West Brom’s Carlos Corberan was also on the club’s list.
Cooper’s immediate aim will be to avoid the drop from the Premier League following the club’s return to the top flight as Championship winners. The Foxes have financial problems and could start the 2024/25 campaign with a point deduction for breaching the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), which would not be ideal for Cooper and his coaching staff.
The situation is foggy at the moment and it remains to be seen if the newly-promoted club will be forced to sell players before recruiting new talents.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
