According to the Daily Mail, Southampton are considering a move for Steve Cooper if Nottingham Forest decide to part ways with the 42-year-old.
Nottingham Forest are currently propping up the Premier League table after five successive defeats, while the Telegraph believe Ralph Hasenhuttl is on the brink of being sacked by Southampton.
If both managers are handed their P45 soon, then Southampton could have the opportunity to embarrass Nottingham Forest.
Southampton know what Nottingham Forest have
Usually, Cooper wouldn’t be the most attractive option for Premier League sides as Nottingham Forest sit bottom of the table.
However, Southampton know exactly what the Welshman is capable of when it comes to working with young players, so he fits into what the Saints are trying to do at St Mary’s right now.
In recent years, Southampton have adopted a new transfer policy which focuses on hoovering up the best talent from those in the academies of the traditional top six.
The signings of Tino Livramento, Romeo Lavia, Samuel Edozie, Gavin Bazunu and Juan Larios are examples of that.
Who better to work with them than Cooper.
The Nottingham Forest boss impressively guided the England Under-17 side to World Cup glory in 2017, developing the likes of Phil Foden and Jadon Sancho along the way.
Cooper again showed his effectiveness when working with youngsters at Swansea, as he guided the Swans to the Championship playoff final in 2021 with the likes of Marc Guehi playing a big role – his presence also lured Conor Gallagher and Rhian Brewster to the Liberty Stadium on loan.
Southampton can embarrass Nottingham Forest
In our view, if Southampton do get their hands on Cooper and he thrives with exceptional young talent at his disposal, it would be a bit embarrassing for Nottingham Forest.
Should the likes of Bazunu, Lavia and Livramento hit new heights under Cooper, it would suggest that Evangelos Marinakis maybe should have focused on signing gems of this ilk over the summer.
Nottingham Forest spent close to £150m over the summer, but in our view, not enough young talent such as Morgan Gibbs-White was brought to the City Ground.
If Cooper goes on to work wonders with a young crop at Southampton, Nottingham Forest will kick themselves.
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