Pundit Jamie Carragher has issued his thoughts on Leicester City’s naming of Steve Cooper as the club’s new manager
Jamie Carragher has expressed his pleasure in seeing Steve Cooper given the Leicester City manager role, though says that he now needs backing from all areas in order to be successful.
The 44-year-old was announced by City on Thursday, signing a three-year deal a few weeks on from his predecessor Enzo Maresca quitting to join Chelsea. Cooper’s previous position at the helm of Nottingham Forest saw him take the club from the foot of the Championship to the top-flight in several months, then the following season retained their Premier League status.
Ultimately he was left out of work since the Foxes’ East Midlands rivals parted ways with him last December – at the time they sat one place above the relegation zone – so looking at the bigger picture, Carragher explained just how impressive the Welshman must be to bounce back at this level so quickly.
“Delighted for Steve. It’s not easy when you lose your job in the Premier League to then get another Premier League job,” he told Sky Sports. “These are coveted jobs. 20 managers from around Europe, from around the world – some of the top managers in world football are looking to come to the Premier League so he will be delighted to get that opportunity as well.”
Cooper enters the King Power Stadium with a major task at hand – ensure Premier League survival. Of course this is the case for any newly-promoted side, though Leicester could be fighting this battle on the back foot with threat of a points deduction from the get-go.
There are also questions as to how much the new manager will be allowed to spend to prepare a squad capable of competing at the top level. So, as well as building a relationship with the club’s board, it is Carragher’s belief that his connection with supporters will be a key determining factor in the season ahead.
“It’s a similar area where the two clubs are so he knows the area well,” the ex-defender continued. “I remember a game we did actually on Monday Night Football where Nottingham Forest got a bit of a doing that night and he apologised to the supporters I think, Steve Cooper.
“He built up a nice relationship with the Nottingham Forest supporters – they were actually a little bit disappointed when he moved on. Hopefully he can build that rapport as well with the Leicester supporters because they might have a few problems going into the season in terms of a points deduction and what they can do in the transfer market as well.
“So, I think for Leicester to stay up they all need to be together and he’ll need some serious backing from the board and the supporters.”
Cooper’s pre-season preparations officially begin with the team’s return to training in July. The new Premier League campaign will then get underway on August 19 against Tottenham Hotspur.
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