Yahoo News The Steve Cooper favourite who would be the perfect Leicester City transfer
Steve Cooper is now ensconced as Leicester City’s new manager, coming through a recruitment process that lasted more than two weeks following Enzo Maresca’s departure to Chelsea.
Reaction to the news has been mixed, Cooper's final few months as a Premier League manager were characterised by dour football and an inability to find the right selectoral answers. That they came at rivals Nottingham Forest will not sit well with a few.
The effect of his Reds demise has been to obscure the fact that most of his time at the City Ground was pretty remarkable. Not content with scooping Forest out of the Championship basement he steered them into the play-offs and to Wembley glory.
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Then handed a squad-and-a-half of new players in one summer he somehow fashioned a team cogent enough to stay in the Premier League – something beyond all three of last season’s promoted clubs. The point is, it wasn’t all bad – far from it – it was mostly good.
Inevitably Cooper’s attention will now turn to building a new side at the King Power Stadium, whether he decides to develop or tear up the foundations laid by Enzo Maresca will be interesting, it is a decision that will have huge ramifications for the profile of players City try to sign in the transfer window.
Moving away, to some degree at least, from Maresca’s methods, will necessitate the addition of an authentic right back. Maresca largely did without one last season, preferring a midfielder who could step into midfield, leaving a back three, when City had possession – which they did a lot in the second tier.
That luxury might not be open to the Foxes this time around and a more defined full back could be required – leaving Cooper looking for an option or three and potentially tempted to turn to a player who was an inspirational presence in Forest’s promotion team.
Djed Spence played 39 times for the Reds in 2021/22 and earned a reputation as an effervescent, buccaneering right back, one who was keen to fly forward but not indifferent to his defensive duties. He did so well he ended up in the EFL Team of the Season and the PFA Team of the Season. So well Tottenham paid Middlesbrough £20million for his services.
Unfortunately as he’s gone south, so has his career and he has spent the last two campaigns as a journeyman loanee, doing enough in half a season at Genoa last season for the Italians to consider taking him back. Indeed Spurs seem desperate to offload the 23-year-old and some outlets are saying the deal is close.
This is where Cooper and City could jump in and hijack the transfer. Cooper rates Spence and Spence makes no secret it was the Welshman who got the best out of him, telling The Athletic recently
"Steve Cooper’s a good person, he understands people. He’s a great coach, he understood me as a player and as a person, that was very important. He worked for England youth, he had that experience of younger players and people coming from different backgrounds and knowing how to deal with certain players - that played a big part in it. He just let me be me.
“With Cooper, he’ll make you feel confident, he’ll ask you questions, he’ll speak to you like a normal human; that plays a big part in football. We don’t just go to work and press a button and we just function and play. We’re human, we like interaction, we like to speak.”
Tottenham want to sell, the player loves the City manager and he might just fill a hole Maresca never seemed too concerned about. Just like Cooper’s appointment, it might not be a transfer to set pulses racing but it could still work for everyone concerned.
