In a last-ditch effort to keep Steve Cooper at Nottingham Forest, staff members have pleaded with owner Evangelos Marinakis not to fire him, sources informed Football Insider.
The 44-year-old’s position is in jeopardy as the team now focuses on reaching a deal with Nuno Espirito Santo following consultations with Julen Lopetegui, another former Wolves manager.
Several senior Forest employees are said to have contacted Marnakis and begged him to keep things as they are, with the well-liked Cooper still sitting in the dugout.
However, it seems that Marinakis has decided that he wants to name a new manager and that Cooper’s replacement is just a question of time.
On December 6, Football Insider reported that the manager had told friends he expected to be fired “soon,” and that he hasn’t changed his mind.
Since then, Forest has suffered 5-0 losses at Fulham, a 1-1 draw with Wolves, and a 2-0 loss at home to Tottenham.
Despite having a five-point lead over Luton Town in 18th place, Forest is just one spot above the relegation zone in the Premier League standings after winning just one of their previous 13 games.
Recent rumors that a replacement is being lined up behind the scenes have also contributed to the strain that has grown between Cooper and Marinakis.
Cooper was on the verge of losing his position at Forest twice before, in the spring of this year and in September of 2022.
But this time, rumors have it, there’s a growing feeling that his days at the City Ground are coming to an end.
Nuno lost his job earlier this year after departing from the Saudi club Al-Ittihad. During his highly productive tenure at Wolves from 2017 to 21, he guided the team from the Championship to two consecutive seventh-place finishes in the Premier League and to the 2020 Europa League quarterfinals.
However, he only worked at Tottenham for around four months after starting there in the summer of 2021. Nuno has managed Valencia and FC Porto and is a client of Portuguese super agent Jorge Mendes.
Cooper, who has a deal through June 2025, guided Forest to safety in the last campaign thanks to lavish investment by owner Evangelos Marinakis.
Despite finishing last in the league in October 2022—the month the Welshman received a new contract—they managed to finish 16th in the standings.
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