Nottingham Forest have announced the sacking of manager Steve Cooper.
Former Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo is in talks to replace him.
Cooper’s departure comes at a time when Forest have lost five of their last six games.
The 44-year-old led Forest to promotion to the Premier League in 2022, ending a 23-year absence from the top flight.
“His achievement in leading Forest back into action will undoubtedly remain an iconic moment in the club’s history,” said owner Evangelos Marinakis.
“We would like to thank Steve for his dedicated contribution during his time with us and the great connections he built with our supporters and the city of Nottingham.
” “Steve will always be a friend of the club and always welcome at the City Ground.
We wish him all the best in his future endeavours.
” Cooper remained a popular figure among the club’s fans.
was informed of the decision on Tuesday.
Forest, who are 17th in the Premier League, have won one of their last 13 top-flight games and have eight points in that span.
They have one point from their last six games and are five points clear of third-placed Luton, who still have a game in hand.
Cooper’s last game as manager was a 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham last Friday.
He becomes the second Premier League manager to be sacked this season, after Sheffield United sacked Paul Heckingbottom earlier this month.
Is it the right choice to bring in Nuno?
Will Cooper need more time?
Have your say here Get news and analysis from Forest sent straight to you Visit our dedicated Nottingham Forest page Forest’s patience with Cooper is running out Forest in 2021 Former England Under-17s coach Cooper was appointed when they fell to the bottom of the league in September 2018, leading them to promotion in the Championship the same season, securing first-class safety in 16th place.
The Welshman completely overhauled his team after promotion.
Nineteen players moved on permanent deals, three joined on loan and 17 left the club.
Cooper’s future at the City Ground was highlighted several times last season, but they struggled to find consistency and had to rely almost entirely on home games to pick up points.
did not become.
They scored 30 of their 38 points in the host game.
In April, owner Marinakis released a statement supporting an end to “false and destructive reporting” about Cooper’s future.
Forest were in 18th place with four games remaining, but they escaped crisis with eight points from those games.
However, the problem of his performance on the road remained in the 2023/24 season as he only scored 5 points in 9 appearances.
Cooper has always had Forest’s support, but Marinakis is increasingly concerned about the club’s plight.
Forest face Bournemouth at the City Ground on Saturday, then face Newcastle United on December 26th and at home to Manchester United on December 30th.
Negotiations underway for Nuno, Manager favorite Former Eintracht Frankfurt manager Oliver Glasner has been mentioned as a possible successor, but Nuno, who briefly managed Spurs two seasons ago, is currently in the lead.
He seems to be in position.
The 49-year-old Portuguese manager was sacked by Saudi Pro League club Al Ittihad in November.
Nuno managed Wolves for four years, leading the club to promotion from the Championship in his first season as manager, then to back-to-back seventh-place finishes in the Premier League and reaching the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
.
The former goalkeeper left Molineux to join Spurs in the summer of 2021, but was sacked less than four months into his role as manager after five defeats in seven games.
He joined Al Ittihad in July 2022 and led the Jeddah-based team to the Saudi title last season, but was sacked after 12 games in the new season.
