Leicester City have learned Steve Cooper’s surprising position in the search for Enzo Maresca’s replacement

Any approach from Leicester City to Steve Cooper regarding the vacant manager’s job would be positively met, the club have surprisingly been told.

Leicester are now officially without a man in the dugout as Enzo Maresca was officially confirmed as Chelsea’s new manager on Monday afternoon. The Italian leaves East Midlands a Championship winner after just one season in charge.

Attention will quickly turn to the appointment of his successor as preparations can begin in earnest for the Foxes’ return to the Premier League. A number of names have been suggested over the past few days and one of them is 5/2 favorite Cooper.

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As former Nottingham Forest boss just seven months ago, the question would reasonably be asked whether he would be willing to cross the line of a regional rivalry to take up another job. The Welshman’s answer according to The Sun is a definite yes.

The 44-year-old has been out of work since being sacked by Nottingham Forest in December. The club were 17th in the league and will continue to secure safety by staying in the same position, albeit with a points deduction, under Nuno Espirito Santo.

Before that, Cooper took Forest from the bottom of the Championship to play-off glory in the 2021/22 campaign, then followed it up by securing survival the following year.

He has apparently been waiting for a chance to get his act together in the Premier League again, most recently turning down relegated Burnley when they approached him to replace Vincent Kompany. If Forest were to make an offer, it would therefore be a yes, despite the rivalry with his former employers.

The Sun claim that Cooper would be given a budget to spend in the transfer market, with the Foxes chiefs also hoping to develop the squad inherited from Maresca with his brand of attacking football. Survival in the Premier League would be his initial target.

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