After Nottingham Forest’s 0-4 defeat against Leicester City and going bottom in the group, Steve Cooper is fighting to save his job, while Forest is considering Rafael Benítez as a potential replacement for Cooper.
After Forest’s five consecutive defeats, Cooper’s future is in extreme doubt, and there is an expectation that he will be sacked soon. However, Cooper is the manager who guided Forest back into the Premier League for the first time in 23 years in May.
During summer, Forest invested heavily after promotion as they spent more than £150m on 23 signings. Copper has found it understandably difficult to integrate so many players. In September 2021, when the club was bottom of the Championship, Copper was appointed.
The Football Association regards Copper as a potential future England manager.
When Forest offered Copper a new deal in the summer, he stalled. In the League, Forest has not won a game since beating West Ham on 14 August.
These consecutive defeats of Forest have left Cooper on the sacking stage, and it is understood that Evangelos Marinakis, Forest’s owner, is interested in appointing Rafael. Rafael has been out of work since being sacked by Everton in January, and Rafael has said he would like to work in the Premier League again.
Although Rafael’s time at Everton went badly, his organizational qualities helped him keep Newcastle in the Premier League.
Sean Dyche is another option for Forest as he has been out of work since being fired by Burnley in April. Dyche has much experience in keeping a struggling team like Forest in the Premier League.
