Torino coach Ivan Juric insists that speculation linking him with a move to Premier League outfit Nottingham Forest is ‘just chatter’, speaking to Football Italia amid speculation over his future at the Serie A club.
The ink is still drying on the new three-year deal Steve Cooper signed at the City Ground a couple of weeks ago.
But, while the usually trigger happy Evangelos Marinakis appears to be showing some all-too-rare restraint on the occasion (just ask Carlos Corberan what we mean), speculation linking potential Cooper replacements with a move to England’s East Midlands continue to rumble on unabated.
According to Tuttosport, for instance, Nottingham Forest are taking an interest in Juric. The 47-year-old Croatian is under contract at Torino until 2024, but the chances of him sticking around for next season already feel slim. And his reputation is such that you can expect to see Juric’s name on many more managerial shortlists should his Granata side continue to impress.
Could Nottingham Forest replace Steve Cooper with Ivan Juric?
The one-time Inter Milan assistant would not be drawn on the rumours linking him with a move away, however. His focus, Juric insists, remains focused on the task at hand; namely, keeping Torino in the comforting safety of mid-table.
“We are here and working for what is best for Toro. Everything else is just chatter and does not count,” Juric says when quizzed directly on those Nottingham Forest links.
The Split-born tactician is one of the most highly-rated coaches in Italian football. He impressively led Hellas Verona to successive top-half finishes following their promotion in 2019. Torino also finished 10th in Juric’s debut campaign at the Stadio Olimpico. A marked improvement from the two previous campaigns; 17th and 16th respectively.
Attack tends to be the best form of defence for Juric too; the coach building his kingdom upon a high-pressing foundation. He loves attack-minded wing-backs, box-to-box midfielders and stylish, creative forwards. In that sense, Juric – if he was to take over from Cooper at some point in the future – could be a more-than-decent fit for this collection of Nottingham Forest players.
Juric’s style ‘makes you have fun’
“The team has a way of playing,” former Hellas Verona forward Fabio Borini said of Juric’s style back in 2020. “A little bit like the English.
“The coach described this to me before I came here. The game is intense in both phases. It’s a mentality that suits me and makes you have fun.”
Nottingham Forest snatched a late draw at home to Brentford on Saturday. That was not enough to lift them above Wolves and off the bottom of the Premier League table, however. Forest have won just two out of 14 games since promotion, albeit one of those came against Liverpool.
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