Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper is in the market for additions come the New Year and reportedly has a talented youngster in his sights at the City Ground, according to a report.
Steve Cooper’s Forest future in doubt
Forest were embroiled in a dramatic affair against Brighton & Hove Albion at the City Ground that ended in an unfortunate 3-2 defeat, as goals from Anthony Elanga and Morgan Gibbs-White weren’t enough to prevent losing out as Evan Ferguson’s smart finish and a double from Joao Pedro sealed all three points for the visitors.
n the aftermath of the affair, The Daily Mail ran a story that claims Welsh boss Cooper is now under pressure from the Tricky Trees’ ambitious hierarchy, with owner Evangelos Marinakis said to be growing frustrated with his side’s recent form. Despite Nottingham Forest’s defeat at the weekend, Cooper looks to have retained decent support from his club’s fanbase; however, the outlet state that he will need to find a way to beat Everton this weekend at the City Ground to give himself further security.
On the face of it, sacking Cooper would be judged by many as a harsh call, given that he kept the Reds in the top flight in his debut Premier League campaign and currently has them sitting 14th in the division with 13 points from 13 fixtures
Nevertheless, the English game resembles a revolving door concerning managers losing their positions every few months as owners look to get one step ahead in their ambitions to reach the top, which seemingly no coach is immune from in the cold light of day.
Casting an eye to January, Nottingham Forest are believed to be eyeing up an economically advantageous deal for a bright young star. However, they will face interest from other clubs in his services.
According to The Daily Record, Nottingham Forest are keen on Celtic prospect Rocco Vata, after they had an offer turned down in the summer transfer window.
Italian sides Frosinone and Torino are also showing interest in the Republic of Ireland Under-21 international, who is out of contract in 2024 and could be available for a development fee of just £350,000 as his future north of the border continues to remain unresolved.
Labelled “exciting” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Vata has been in brilliant form for Celtic B throughout the course of this campaign, notching ten goals in 13 appearances across all competitions (Vata statistics – Transfermarkt).
The 18-year-old has also featured four times for Celtic’s senior side as his stock continues to rise. Despite this, an exit from the Hoops could be on the cards for Vata and he is unlikely to be short of suitors as his situation at Parkhead becomes more and more perilous.
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