Stan Collymore makes claims about Evangelos Marinakis at Forest as Steve Cooper lands Leicester job

The Portuguese manager took over in the latter stages of last year after Steve Cooper was sacked by the Reds.

A few months after leaving Forest, Cooper finds himself back in charge of the Premier League after being handed the job at Leicester.

Former Forest and Leicester striker Stan Collymore has now weighed in on the appointment after those at the King Power Stadium expressed some concern.

Steve Cooper formed a solid relationship with Evangelos Marinakis

Despite facing criticism during his time at the City Ground, he had the backing of club owner Evangelos Marinakis, who handed him a new deal in 2022.

The 44-year-old penned a three-year deal with the Foxes following their return to the Premier League.

Cooper’s time at Forest lasted just over two years and saw him oversee 107 games where he managed to average 1.43 points per game.

And Collymore admitted there is something from his time with Forest that Leicester fans should take heart from.

Speaking to Caught Offside, the pundit hailed the relationship between Cooper and his players as well as the club’s owner.

“I think with Steve he inspires a lot of loyalty from his players – that was evident at Forest,” he said.

“Even the owner, Evangelos Marinakis, if you remember the first season when Forest came in, Steve was under a lot of pressure because of how many games they were losing. Marinakis gave him a new contract because Forest fans were calling for Steve to stay.

“Leicester City are going to love that. They will love the passion Steve brings and I think in a season that could start with some kind of punishment, Steve Cooper is a better choice at this point (not necessarily overall compared to Graham Potter), while what Graham will probably be looking to go to a stable club and take them from mid-table to European positions.”

The forest has its own problems to deal with this summer

Despite having quality players in the likes of Morgan Gibbs-White and Murillo, Forest have endured a tough 2023/24 campaign.

Of course, the points deduction played its part in their struggles, however, Forest must improve over the summer to avoid a repeat.

It can be argued that Sheffield United and Burnley are being replaced in the league by stronger outfits in Leicester and Southampton, which will increase the pressure on sides that have narrowly avoided the drop.

But Forest are apparently making some moves already this summer, with Carlos Miguel’s release clause activated to give them a new man between the sticks.

Similar topics