Yahoo News Simon Jordan aims Nuno Espirito Santo dig as Steve Cooper opens up about Leicester City job
Simon Jordan says Steve Cooper has a different challenge on his hands at Leicester City to the one he was presented with after Nottingham Forest’s promotion.
Cooper has recently been named Foxes’ boss, succeeding Enzo Maresca and returning to the game for the first time since he was relieved of his duties at the City Ground. He spoke to the club website about his 'next chapter'.
The decision to replace him with Nuno Espirito Santo sparked much comment at the time but after six months out the Welshman is now back with a team recently promoted from the Championship and with the threat of Profitability & Sustainability Rules sanctions hanging over them.
READ MORE: Steve Cooper reveals exactly what he 'knew' after Evangelos Marinakis sacked him
READ MORE: Carlos Miguel will not stop Nuno from dreaming of £35m Liverpool transfer
But for Jordan, that’s where the similarities end and speaking about his appointment at the King Power Stadium he told talkSPORT: “I think it's not a bad appointment. I think the difference between this situation and Nottingham Forest is Leicester have been pretty much in the Premier League, having won it seven-eight years ago and a successful side in it.
“They've had one poor season that got the relegated whereas Nottingham Forest hadn't been in the Premier League for 23 years. Nottingham Forest arrived in the Premier League with Steve Cooper with a group of players, a lot of them that were out of contract and on loans that needed to be dealt with and players that were being sold. Djed Spence that had been there that they couldn’t sign and had gone off to Tottenham.
“So there's a different challenge. He's got a challenge coming into the league now with a team that's going to perhaps be sanctioned most likely….I'm not entirely sure they're going to get an embarrassment of riches because I think their losses are quite significant and I think that the ownership model has changed over the years for a variety of reasons.
“But he's a capable operator. I mean, you don't listen to him and come off it inspired, do you? He's very monosyllabic in what he says and monotone in his delivery. But you're not employing him to be a manager that conveys everything through the media. I think that he'll do fine there.
“Leicester, like I say, has a different set of challenges to Forest, if he hasn’t learned the lessons of Forest and whatever lessons they need to be, let’s have it right I don’t think Nuno Espirito Santo set the world on fire taking from Steve at Nottingham Forest. It wasn't so long ago that everyone was linking him to the Crystal Palace job.
“I don't think Leicester are going to go rolling up the league, but I think they will be a side that stays in the Premier League, unless they're going to get eight or 10 points or something ridiculous like that from the sanctioning body.
“He's a solid operator. He's a good tactician, he's a good manager of people, he gets people with him, you don't think there's anything in him that ultimately is Machiavellian. He isn't about playing the angles or looking for excuses and I think that will sit.”
