Former Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper named as ‘frontrunner’ to land Championship job

Steve Cooper is still loved among Nottingham Forest fans.

Steve Cooper joined Nottingham Forest in September 2021 whilst they were in dire straits at the bottom of the Championship.

But, quite incredibly, Cooper managed to guide The Tricky Trees back to the Premier League after a 23-year absence.

He kept them up in their first season back in the top-flight but was ultimately given his marching orders mid-way through the second campaign.

A disastrous spell at Leicester City ensued for Cooper, although, he did have the Foxes outside of the relegation zone before Ruud van Nistelrooy replaced him.

The former England under-17s boss has been out of work since November but is now emerging as a leading contender to join a Championship club.

Steve Cooper ‘frontrunner’ for West Bromwich Albion job

Cooper was linked with the Derby County job earlier this year and has continued to be mooted with a number of Championship vacancies.

Norwich City have recently sacked manager Johannes Hoff Thorup and now Cooper is being touted to replace him.

However, it’s West Bromwich Albion who have made Cooper a ‘frontrunner’ for their recent vacancy, according to Birmingham World journalist Kurt Leyland.

Albion suffered a shock 3-1 defeat against relegation-threatened Derby County on Easter Monday and Tony Mowbray was sacked later that day, with the club now resigned to another season in the second tier after missing out on the playoffs.

Cooper clearly has ties to the Midlands, having worked at Forest and Leicester, so it could be a vacancy that tempts him, particularly given West Brom’s ambitions to gain promotion.

Cooper currently working for UEFA

Since being sacked by Leicester just before Christmas, Cooper has been keeping himself busy in an interesting new gig.