Nottingham Forest have sounded out Jorge Sampaoli as they decide whether or not to sack Steve Cooper. The Reds haven’t won for nine games and were defeated 2-0 by Aston Villa over Easter.
Now, it’s crunch time for Evangelos Marinakis. Forest face Manchester United, Liverpool and Brighton next, with the Reds now in the bottom three after the weekend’s result.
Goal Brazil claims that the Reds have made contact with Sampaoli’s representatives. The Premier League outfit aren’t alone though, with Flamego also keen to appoint him as their new head coach.
Sampaoli has managed a long list of clubs. Most recently he’s taken charge of Sevilla, Marseille and the Argentina national team. His second spell with Sevilla ended last month when he left with a win ratio of 41%.
The head coach is undoubtedly an experienced figure. Forest must decide, however, whether he’s truly the man to take the club forward, with zero experience in England.
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Sampaoli has took charge of Argentina at a World Cup. He was in the hot seat during the 2018 edition of the competition when they were beaten 4-3 by France in the last 16.
It would be heartbreaking to see Cooper lose his job on the home straight. Forest have dropped into the bottom three for the first time since the World Cup and he’s been dealt a rough hand.
After his heroics last season, the Reds have arguably been promoted too soon. Forest have regressed during the last nine games and they’re now staring down the barrel of relegation.
Forest have sounded out Sampaoli
This doesn’t sound overly realistic, it has to be said. This smacks of his agent doing some work to ensure that Flamengo think he’s a wanted man before going full steam ahead for him.
Forest will surely avoid sacking Cooper right now. There are just eight games remaining and with Forest in the bottom three, surely there won’t be a queue of managers lining up to replace him.
The Reds have struggled with injuries this season. With Cooper also having to blend a squad with 30 new players together, it’s proved a recipe for disaster.
Given his credentials in the Championship though, Cooper has to stay. Forest’s best chance of survival is with him at the helm and appointing anyone else wouldn’t make a deal of sense.