On Tuesday, 19 December, Steve Cooper was sacked by Nottingham Forest and replaced by Nuno Espirito Santo. Cooper had been the Forest boss for two years and led the club to promotion in 2022, so he has still plenty of managerial kudos in the bank. That kudos has led to plenty of interest in the Steve Cooper next club betting market already.
Cooper may feel as if he has done enough to deserve another shot at a Premier League job, however, he could be forced to drop down to the Championship should a job not present itself in England's top league. Enter Birmingham City, who sacked manager Wayne Rooney after just two wins in 15 games on 2nd January…
Steve Cooper next club betting – Where he could end up
Birmingham City
With his midlands connections, Cooper is the automatic favourite to be Birmingham's next manager. His ‘worst' price is just 2/1 at present, which compares very favourably to his nearest contenders for the St Andrew's hotseat.
Amongst them are Jesse Marsch, who remains the last visiting manager to fell Liverpool in a league game at Anfield, and Tony Mowbray, who boasts a wealth of experience in England's second tier, with no obvious dive in his managerial stock after being sacked by Sunderland in early December.
Just on the outside, Reims manager Will Still – famed much for learning his trade on the Football Manager game series – is also a contender.
Crystal Palace – Favourites
The most likely destination in the Steve Cooper next club betting is Crystal Palace, with Roy Hodgson still the favourite to be the next Premier League manager to be sacked with some bookmakers. A recent win over Brentford has bought the 76-year-old some time, but the Eagles need more consistency if Hodgson is to avoid the axe.
Cooper had been linked with the Palace job even while he was still the Nottingham Forest manager, with some reports stating that talks have already taken place. Palace is Cooper's most likely route back to Premier League management at present, and given the presence of key talents like Eberechi Eze, he would have a lot to work with.
Burnley
Vincent Kompany is another Premier League manager who is in a battle to keep his job. The Clarets were excellent in the Championship last season and secured promotion with a month to spare. That form is likely the only thing saving Kompany now, as Burnley are six points from safety.
The Burnley board could decide to part ways with Kompany while survival is still a possibility, and given Cooper kept Forest up last season, he would likely be near the top of the list of candidates. The question is, would Cooper take the job if he believes Burnley are doomed for relegation?
Swansea
Swansea are currently looking for a new permanent manager after sacking Michael Duff, with the club in 17th place on the Championship table. Cooper has previously been manager at Swansea, and he led the club to the playoff final in 2021, before leaving by mutual consent after losing to Brentford.
Cooper may feel as if he has unfinished business at the club after coming so close to securing promotion last time around, but their current position in the league could put him off. Having said that, there is still time to turn the situation around. Cooper is currently a rank outsider (at 33/1) to get the job.
