Steven Cooper has signed a three-year contract with Leicester City. Steve Cooper has promised to restore Leicester City to its former Premier League status after being chosen to supervise what might be a challenging first season back in the top flight. Telegraph Sport reported on Wednesday that Cooper, 44, was in advanced talks with the club to succeed Enzo Maresca, who led Leicester to promotion before leaving for Chelsea. Cooper was terminated by Forest in December and was the first choice of Leicester owner Aiyawatt “Top” Srivaddhanaprabha and sporting director Jon Rudkin, the club’s two main leaders.
Leicester, a club known for its stability under the Srivaddhanaprabha family, has granted Cooper a deal until 2027 as first-team manager. However, with Premier League profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) charges hanging over the club, as well as a points loss, the process is far from simple. Cooper established his career in club football with Swansea City and later Forest, where he led them from the bottom of the Championship to victory in the play-off final in May 2022. He then maintained them in the Premier League with one game remaining the following season, despite extraordinary roster turnover and 23 first-team additions in the summer of 2022 alone.
Swansea reached the Championship play-offs twice under his leadership, losing to Brentford in the 2021 final. Cooper thanked fans in an open letter for the club’s achievements over the last decade, including the amazing 2016 Premier League title and the 2021 FA Cup victory. He hinted to the challenges that Leicester, the Championship winners, may encounter in the Premier League over PSR. “Great challenges lie ahead,” he continued, “but I have the impression that Leicester thrives in these situations. I know we’ll be ready.
“The preparations for a successful Premier League season begin now. Our goal is to reestablish Leicester City as a Premier League team that can look to the future with pride and ambition.” Cooper stated that the first challenge was “to demonstrate to our fans that we are prepared to adapt to the new level following a season in the Championship.” He then on: “I know that my experience will be valuable in helping that evolution, with an excellent group of players working from one of the best training grounds in the world.”
The renowned Leicester veteran striker Jamie Vardy, 37, has signed up for another season, and now the club will have to try to sell players to avoid potential losses while making the squad competitive in the Premier League. Among those they would like to sign will be Ghana international Abdul Fatawu, 20, who had a fantastic season on loan from Sporting of Lisbon in the Championship last season.
Steve Cooper has proven himself an expert at adapting to challenging situations. As Swansea manager, he was obliged to sell key players such as Dan James and Joe Rodon, but he kept the team competitive through good loans and clever management. At Nottingham Forest, he rallied a club and a city around the club’s historic return to the Premier League after 23 years out.
Among the 23 signings made by Forest in the first summer window of 2022, one of Cooper’s recommendations, Morgan Gibbs-White, was perhaps the best. The midfielder was a crucial member of his England Under-17s team, who won the age-group World Cup in 2017, and later played for Cooper on loan at Swansea, with current England player Marc Guehi.
Those three Championship campaigns were pivotal in Cooper’s career, but what happened next with Forest was even more spectacular. He improvised to put together a team from a disjointed Forest squad. That team was capable of remaining in the Premier League and, unlike a squad constructed figuratively overnight, exhibited a strong spirit. The challenge will be similar in Leicester, where the club is fighting a tough battle with the Premier League after threatening legal action against the latter in March.
