Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper is said to be on the radar of Southampton as they consider a managerial change.
The Welshman is set to be in the City Ground dugout for next week’s crunch clash with Aston Villa. At a board meeting on Wednesday, it was agreed to give him more time at the helm to turn the Reds’ fortunes around.
Cooper’s job had been under threat after this week’s 4-0 thumping at Leicester City, with a run of five straight defeats seeing Forest slump to the bottom of the Premier League table. He remains under pressure to oversee an improvement, but has been given a stay of execution and retains the support of the vast majority of fans.
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Nevertheless, the 42-year-old does have admirers elsewhere. According to the Daily Mail, he would likely be of interest to Southampton, should Ralph Hasenhuttl get the sack - and depending on how the situation pans out Trentside.
The Saints are reportedly “seriously considering” the Austrian’s position. It is said Cooper’s record of developing young talent would align with the club’s ethos.
Southampton were tipped as being potential future suitors for Cooper back in February. If and when he does eventually leave the Reds, he would have no shortage of options for another job - something which speaks volumes about what he has to offer.
After defeat to the Foxes, Cooper had said of his own future: “I’m not thinking about that. I understand where the question comes from, but I’m not thinking about my personal situation, apart from how I can be at my best every single day.
“The tougher and harder it gets, the harder I work and the more it means to me. Hopefully that’s what leadership is, standing up and being counted, trying to be a role model within the training ground.
“It’s a poor run of results. The stats, with chances and goals we are conceding, are not good. We are trying to address it.
“What I would say is, you didn’t see the team give up. I know it’s a group of players that care, even though we are new. Sometimes you can feel that it isn’t that, and I’m not sensing that at the moment.
“We’re just trying to put loads of layers of our work to become the team we want to be. We’re not that at the moment.”
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