Soccer

Nottingham Forest consider Benítez move as Cooper future in doubt

Manager fighting to save his job after defeat at Leicester left his side bottom of the Premier League

Forest’s owner Evangelos Marinakis is said to be interested in appointing Rafa Benitez. Photograph: Scott Heavey/Getty Images
Forest’s owner Evangelos Marinakis is said to be interested in appointing Rafa Benitez. Photograph: Scott Heavey/Getty Images
Jacob Steinberg
Tue Oct 04 2022 - 18:27

Nottingham Forest are considering Rafael Benítez as a potential replacement for Steve Cooper, who is fighting to save his job after a 4-0 defeat at Leicester City left his side bottom of the Premier League.

Cooper’s future is in extreme doubt after five successive defeats. There is an expectation that the 42-year-old will be sacked soon, even though he is the manager who in May guided Forest back into the Premier League for the first time in 23 years.

Forest invested heavily after promotion, spending more than £150 million (€172 million) on 23 signings during a whirlwind summer. Cooper, appointed in September 2021 when the club were bottom of the Championship, has found it understandably difficult to integrate so many players.

Cooper, who is regarded by the Football Association as a potential future England manager, stalled after Forest offered him a new deal in the summer. Forest have not won in the league since beating West Ham on August 14th and have since suffered embarrassing capitulations from winning positions at home to fellow promoted teams Bournemouth and Fulham.

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A disastrous run has left Cooper on thin ice and it is understood that Forest’s owner, Evangelos Marinakis, is interested in appointing Benítez. The former Liverpool, Newcastle and Real Madrid manager has been out of work since being sacked by Everton in January. He has said he would like to work in the Premier League again.

Although his time at Everton went badly, his organisational qualities helped him keep Newcastle in the Premier League after he won promotion with them in 2017.

Sean Dyche is another potential option for Forest. Dyche has been out of work since being fired by Burnley in April. He has a wealth of experience of keeping a struggling team in the Premier League.

- Guardian