Nottingham Forest promotion hero sacked by Premier League rivals

Leicester City have sacked former Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper after just 12 Premier League matches.

In a shock decision, City have chosen to part ways with the Welshman with the club sitting 16th in the table, just two points above the relegation zone. They lost 2-1 to Chelsea on Saturday, extending their winless run in all competitions to five matches.

In a statement, City said: “Leicester City Football Club has parted company with Steve Cooper, who leaves his position as first team manager with immediate effect.

“Assistant manager Alan Tate and first team coach and analyst Steve Rands have also left the club. Steve, Alan and Steve depart with our thanks for their contribution during their time with the club and with our best wishes for the future.

“Men’s first-team training will be overseen by first team coach Ben Dawson, supported by coaches Danny Alcock and Andy Hughes, as the club begins the process of appointing a new manager, which we hope to conclude as soon as possible.”

While City's performances suggested they would be in a relegation battle this season, the news still comes as a surprise, especially so early in the season. City backed Cooper with a net transfer spend of more than £45m in the summer, after he was appointed to be Enzo Maresca's successor.

With Cooper's Forest connections, City fans found it difficult to take to the Welshman and there were chants of "Cooper, sort it out" at Walsall and Manchester United, as well as boos at home matches.

The Welshman was a leftfield appointment at the City Ground in September 2021, but transformed the club and led them to promotion via the play-offs just eight months later, ending a 23-year absence from the top flight.

Against the odds he also kept them up the following season but was finally sacked in December 2023 after a run of one win in 13 top-flight games that had left Forest facing a relegation fight.

Rate Cooper as a manager? Click HERE to have your say

Get breaking Forest news sent direct to your phone

Join our Nottingham Forest WhatsApp group and get the latest breaking news, interviews and opinion sent straight to your phone, plus matchday team news and live updates of all the action. Just click here and select ‘Join Community’ to get started. The only proviso is that you must have WhatsApp on your phone to participate. No one will be able to see your personal information and you will only receive messages from the NottinghamshireLive Reds writers.

We will not spam your WhatsApp feed with constant messages, but you will receive updates from us daily with the latest Reds stories. If you later decide to opt out, just go to the name at the top of your screen and click 'Exit Group'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you are curious, you can click here to read our Privacy Notice.