The selection of a new manager was made public on Thursday by an official statement from Leicester City.
Steve Cooper is the new manager.
Leicester City’s new manager is the former Forest boss.
The Foxes made a really good decision, in my opinion, and they may be in a better position now than they were under Enzo Maresca. The former Leicester City manager’s only managerial experiences were the promotion from the 2023–24 season and a few games before he was fired in the Italian second division. He had never managed in the Premier League.
It would be intriguing to watch how the two perform in the 2024–2025 campaign. To put it another way, I would strongly wager that Steve Cooper will be Leicester City’s manager well after Enzo Maresca’s tenure at the Chelsea circus ends.
Official statement from Leicester City, June 20, 2024:
In advance of the 2024–2025 Premier League season, Leicester City Football Club is pleased to announce the appointment of Steve Cooper as our new first team manager.
Arriving to King Power Stadium as the Club continues to get ready for our top-flight comeback after being promoted from the Sky Bet Championship last season, Steve, 44, has agreed to a three-year contract.
After leading Nottingham Forest to promotion and establishment in the top flight between 2021 and 2023, Steve went on to manage in the Premier League. His reputation as a leader and coach in the game is well-established.
“We are delighted to welcome Steve to Leicester City,” said Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, chairman of Leicester City. His goals for the team and our goals for the Club are extremely much in line with his ability to develop players and apply a dynamic style of play.
He can enhance the bond that has been created between our supporters and the team as a leader, which will be essential to us re-establishing the Club in the Premier League.
“I am really excited and proud to be appointed Leicester City’s First Team Manager,” stated Steve Cooper. This is an amazing Club with a devoted following and a long history. Working with a team this brilliant excites me, and I’m eager to take on the challenge of realizing our common goals in the Premier League.
Cooper, a Pontypridd native, played for Wrexham before becoming one of the youngest coaches in history to get a UEFA Pro License at the age of 27.
In September 2008, he resigned from his position as Head of Youth Development at Wrexham to become an academy coach at Liverpool. He eventually rose to the position of Academy Manager, leading the team’s Under-18s in the 2012–13 season.
Before being named manager of the Under-17 team the next year, he assumed leadership of England’s Under-16 team in October 2014. Before his team was named the FIFA Under-17 World Cup winners five months later, he guided them to the final of the UEFA European Under-17 Championship in May 2017.
When Steve took over as head coach of Swansea City in June 2019, the team finished sixth in his first season, losing to Brentford over two legs in the play-off semifinal.
He then secured a fourth-place standing the following campaign, and guided his side to the play-off final, where they were beaten by Brentford at Wembley.
After his departure from South Wales in July 2021, Steve was named Nottingham Forest manager in September of the same year. He remarkably led the City Ground outfit from the bottom of the Championship to a fourth-place finish in his first season in charge, which culminated in promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs.
He ensured Forest’s top-flight status the following year before leaving the club in December 2023.
