Next Nottingham Forest Manager Odds: Who Could Replace Steve Cooper?
Steve Cooper is now the odds-on favourite to become the next Premier League manager to lose his job following Nottingham Forest’s eight-game winless streak.
responded to Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat to Leeds by slashing the odds on Cooper becoming the next top flight boss to walk the plank.
It left Forest 17th in the standings, and they are now staring down the barrel of relegation after taking just three points from their last eight matches.
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The three teams below them have all sacked their managers this season, so Cooper is skating on thin ice, despite signing a new contract in October.
Several intriguing candidates are in contention to replace him, and we have rounded up the most likely options below.
Patrick Vieira
The former Arsenal captain is now a free agent after he was relieved of his duties at Crystal Palace on March 17.
Vieira led the Eagles to a respectable 12th-place finish last term, and they made a flying start to the current campaign.
However, they were dragged into the relegation battle after an underwhelming run of results following the World Cup, so the board ruthlessly wielded the axe on him.
Yet Vieira left with his reputation largely intact, and he has been linked with several new posts in the Premier League over the past couple of weeks.
Leeds are among the clubs interested in securing his services, so Forest may face competition if they decide Vieira is the right man for the job.
He is only 46 years old, but he already has two years at New York City, two years at Nice and 18 months with Palace under his belt.
Vieira favours patient, possession-based football built on strong defensive foundations, and he could be the man to guide Forest to safety.
As such, he is the 4/1 favourite with to become the club’s next manager if they part ways with Cooper.
Rafa Benitez
The former Liverpool, Chelsea, Newcastle and Everton boss has also been linked with several jobs this season.
He is reportedly in contention to replace David Moyes and become the , while he is also linked with the vacant managerial role at Leicester.
Nottingham Forest would have to work hard to convince Benitez to take the reins at the club, as his CV includes Champions League, Europa League and La Liga titles.
His reputation certainly took a knock during an ill-fated tenure at Everton, but he has a wealth of top flight experience and he knows how to grind out results in the Premier League.
He is currently the 6/1 second favourite, although he is also priced at 4/1 to and at 5/1 to join West Ham, so there could be a tug-of-war for Benitez’s services.
Fabian Hurzeler
Hurzeler was thrust into the limelight when Bundesliga 2 club St Pauli sacked manager Timo Schultz in December.
They were teetering just above the relegation zone at the time, so the board decided to get rid of their struggling head coach.
Hurzeler, who had served as Schultz’s assistant for two years, was handed the reins and tasked with turning their season around.
He was just 29 years old at the time, so nobody expected too much from Hurzeler, but St Pauli’s upturn in form has been remarkable.
They have embarked on a record-breaking nine-game winning streak, and they are now up to fourth in the standings.
The January signing of Estonia’s Karol Mets made St Pauli a lot tougher at the back, and they have also looked sharper in attack since Hurzeler benched striker Johannes Eggestein.
He is now being touted as the next Julian Nagelsmann, and St Pauli’s remarkable run has caught the attention of clubs around the world.
For that reason, he is now priced at 10/1 with Parimatch to take over as the next manager of Nottingham Forest.
Will Still
Still is only six months older than Hurzeler, but he has already emerged as a cult hero in French football this season.
Reims appointed him as the club’s new manager last summer, even though he did not have a UEFA Pro Licence.
That meant they had to pay a €25,000 fine for every match he managed, showing just how highly they rated him.
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He now has his licence, putting an end to the fines, and Still’s reputation continues to go from strength to strength.
Reims are currently seventh in the Ligue 1 table after winning four of their last five games, and Still has worked wonders with Arsenal loanee Folarin Balogun.
The 30-year-old coach is Belgian, but both of his parents are English and he speaks the language fluently, so he could be an attractive proposition for Forest.
He is also priced at 10/1 with BetVictor to replace Cooper at the City Ground.
Steven Gerrard
The 42-year-old former Liverpool captain is a veteran compared to Hurzeler and Still, so he could make an interesting alternative.
His reputation as a coach soared during three years at Rangers, which saw him finally break Celtic’s monopoly on the Scottish Premiership.
Gerrard was touted as a future Liverpool manager, but his spell at Aston Villa was a disaster, and he was sacked in October after 11 months in charge.
He will be itching to make a return to Premier League management and silence his critics, so the Forest job could prove attractive.
He is also 10/1 with , leaving him level with Hurzeler and Still in the betting.
The Rest
Graham Potter is 12/1 to take the reins at Nottingham Forest, although that looks unlikely after he rejected Leicester.
Vincent Kompany is 12/1 with too, although that also seems improbable, with his Burnley side sitting at the top of the Championship table.
Jesse Marsch may be a better option at 12/1, as he also has unfinished business in the Premier League after facing the axe at Leeds earlier this season.
Some of the other contenders include Ralph Hasenhüttl (14/1), Frank Lampard (16/1), Brendan Rodgers (16/1) and Arne Slot (16/1), whose Feyenoord team are running away with the Eredivisie title.
