Nottingham Forest head coach Steve Cooper is reportedly "on the brink of losing his job" following the Reds' 4-0 defeat in their East Midlands derby against Leicester City on Monday night, with Rafa Benítez named as a 'contender to replace him'.
A fifth straight league defeat sees Forest sink to the bottom of the Premier League table eight matches into their first top-flight campaign for 23 years after conceding 16 goals in just their last four matches, with Cooper said to be under intense pressure, per the Telegraph. Benitez, who had been linked with becoming Leicester manager during the international break, is apparently 'already emerging as a potential replacement' with the link being made between the former Everton and Newcastle United boss and Forest advisor and ex-Magpies CEO Lee Charnley.
The Telegraph report that the Spaniard is 'in the frame' to take the Reds job should Cooper be dispensed with. "I completely understand the situation and the question and respect it 100 per cent," Cooper said when asked about his future after the Leicester game.
Read more: Cooper responds as Forest boss quizzed on his future after dismal defeat
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"But my concern is we have lost another game for this club, not my own situation because I care more about the club more than my personal circumstances. I refuse to criticise the players as a group as it a fresh challenge." "We are going through difficult moments you normally look at in pre-season and we are having to go through that process it in the most difficult league in the world. It's tough at the moment, I won't shy away from that.
"I'll believe in them until the end. I will never say they are not good enough as that will have a negative affect. But at same time we need to be much better. "This is a fresh challenge for us. Some of the guys have only met each other these last couple of weeks. That's the realism of the situation and something we have to deal with. At the moment we are getting punished because of periods in games where we are not a team and key moments as well.
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