Southampton ‘might have been of interest’ to Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper amid uncertainty surrounding Ralph Hasenhuttl, according to journalist Dean Jones.
Cooper may have just signed a surprise new three-year deal with Forest, but that is only likely to end the speculation surrounding his future for a little while with reports he is a target for the St Mary’s outfit given Hasenhuttl’s vulnerable situation.
What is the latest news involving Cooper?
A recent report from The Telegraph claimed that Hasenhuttl is hanging by a threat at Southampton after a run of three straight defeats has left them lingering just a point above the relegation zone.
It’s stated that a change in the dugout has been on the cards for some time now despite the Austrian tactician pulling off several eye-catching results while working on a limited budget.
Southampton’s new owners Sport Republic are said to want a coach more adept at developing the promising young stars at the club.
And the Daily Mail have disclosed that Cooper was on the south coast club’s shortlist in large part due to his ‘successful history of nurturing young talent’, especially during his time as England’s Under-17s manager.
The 42-year-old led the likes of Phil Foden, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Marc Guehi to Word Cup glory back in 2017 and has since impressed during spells with Swansea City and Forest.
What has Jones said about Cooper?
Jones told GiveMeSport: “At Southampton, you’ve already got the foundations. You need two or three changes in there and perhaps a bit of a re-jig with the formation.
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“You look at what he was able to do with Forest last season in terms of lifting them from the bottom of the Championship to getting promoted. It’s easy to see him being able to improve this current Southampton team.
“So, if Steve Cooper had lost his job at Forest, I actually do think that Southampton might have been of interest to him.”
Would Cooper have been a good appointment?
During his two-year stint at Swansea, Cooper guided the Welsh outfit to back-to-back play-off finishes, ultimately losing to Brentford in the showpiece event before departing a couple of months later.
He then took over a Forest side at the foot of the Championship table last season and managed to take them back to the Premier League at the first time of asking following a 23-year absence.
Cooper has undoubtedly been unable to replicate that success in the early stages of the current campaign, but the circumstances have been far from ideal.
Forest brought in 23 players over the summer, meaning it is difficult to judge their performances and results to date, and Cooper’s credentials should not be tarnished by those performances.
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