Why Leicester acted quickly to end Cooper reign

Leicester wanted Steve Cooper to succeed but felt they could not afford to fail.

Saturday’s 2-1 defeat by Chelsea, inflicted by Cooper’s predecessor Enzo Maresca, left the Foxes 16th in the Premier League and a point above the relegation zone.

While the Foxes are outside the bottom three their points total is short of where the hierarchy wants it to be. There was a growing fear performances would not generate the results to stay in the top flight of English football.

It is one of the main reasons why Leicester have acted, even if the decision to sack Cooper came as a surprise on Sunday afternoon, especially as the 44-year-old had been positive about his impact on the squad.

The in-game stats had started to prove it, even if overall results had not highlighted it.

Maresca took the Foxes back to the Premier League by winning the Championship last season and his philosophy was so ingrained in the players it had been difficult for some to readjust to Cooper’s style.

The Italian was well-liked by the squad and there have been teething problems in ensuring they adapted to Cooper’s way of working – less expansive and working the ball quicker – with a struggle to connect with some of the players.

That was another reason for the decision, with a growing concern any disconnect would impact their survival prospects.

Leicester, relegated in 2023, are not the same club which stunned the world to win the 2016 Premier League title. Their ambitions have had to change.

But the work Cooper and his coaches had done had, slowly, begun to pay off and he has been willing to compromise his beliefs – like he did at Nottingham Forest – to ensure survival.

Scoring goals was not the issue either, this month’s 3-0 defeat at Manchester United was the only time the Foxes have not scored in a league game this season.

He kept Forest up in 2022-23 having guided them to promotion the season before after taking over when they were bottom of the Championship.

Yet his pedigree from the City Ground meant there were always concerns about his past when he crossed the east Midlands in June.

Cooper, who won the Under-17 World Cup with England, and others dismissed those fears but it was clear some Leicester supporters did not completely buy into his reign.

This is despite him writing an open letter to them following his appointment and inviting club legends like Matt Elliott and Gerry Taggart to the training ground to talk to really understand the Foxes.

He spoke about wanting to get under the skin of the club during a pre-season chat after a game at Shrewsbury and was true to his word.

Cooper recognised he needed to earn the fans’ faith and his refusal to go over the top after the first win of the season against Bournemouth in October showed there was work to do.

The former Swansea boss understood he did not have the memories or credit in the bank from taking Leicester up – unlike Russell Martin or Kieran McKenna at Southampton and Ipswich – so had to build the relationship the hard way during a relegation battle.

There was always the issue he could have been seen as second choice by some – following Maresca’s departure – after the club came close, but ultimately could not agree a deal, with Graham Potter.

In the summer, the Foxes were always in open dialogue with Cooper but they could now be given a second chance with the former Chelsea manager, who has been out of work since leaving Stamford Bridge in April 2023.

Leicester’s supporters have been passionate backers of their managers in recent years – only the stale football of Claude Puel in 2018-19 failing to capture the imagination recently – and murmurings from the terraces were clear.

The error-strewn 3-1 defeat by Forest in October had the away supporters serenading their former manager, underlining the difference in feeling between the fans.

That was not necessarily Cooper’s fault as he was handed a difficult task, taking over when Leicester were under threat of a points deduction for breaching Profit and Sustainability rules.

The Foxes won their appeal over the charge in September but it was not quick enough. Cooper felt the financial cloud hanging over the club impacted their ability in the summer transfer market.

He still brought in Oliver Skipp from Tottenham for £20m and defender Caleb Okoli from Atalanta for around £13m but Bilal El Khannouss, signed for a reported £21m from Genk, has made just three league starts and is yet to play a full 90 minutes.

There was a desire – from everyone connected with the club – for the appointment to work and Cooper’s personable manner makes it difficult not to feel sympathy.

He stayed to chat after news conferences. Honest, affable and likable, he talked tactics, players and music, but being the nice guy cuts little ice in the Premier League.