Leicester City are closing on the appointment of Steve Cooper after it was explained why they have decided to opt for the Welshman over Graham Potter, while his first signing for the Foxes will reportedly be a £12m Tottenham man also wanted by Leeds.
The Foxes are seeking a new manager after promotion-winning boss Enzo Maresca hot-footed it out of the King Power Stadium after just one season, having been lured to London to manage Chelsea as a successor for Mauricio Pochettino. And having been linked with a number of potential candidates, Leicester shortlisted their wishlist down to just three names earlier this month.
Indeed, while Carlos Corberan and Graham Potter were both considered, the West Brom boss was overlooked owing to the compensation payment it would have required to get him out of The Hawthorns.
And with money tight at Leicester – the club are facing up to the sale of some top stars to keep themselves in light with Profit and Sustainability Rules – the club deemed it more shrewd to focus on candidates currently out of work.
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Having held extensive talks with Potter over the last few days, the former Chelsea and Brighton manager had appeared destined to take the job, with the 49-year-old having decided to take the plunge with the Foxes and despite what appears an extremely difficult looking job.
However, TEAMtalk has been told that the Foxes hierarchy have now altered their stance and have instead opted to go for former Nottingham Forest boss, Cooper.
The Welshman has been out of work since December when he departed the City Ground. However, the 44-year-old’s stock remains high, having guided the Tricky Trees into the Premier League from the lower reaches of the Championship, and then ensuring their safety in their first year back, during what proved a hugely-successful 27-month stint at the helm.
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TEAMtalk understands the east Midlands side now hope to finalise his appointment by Friday and want Cooper installed in time to have a say in their summer transfer plans, as well as being in place for by the time the players return for pre-season training.
Cooper will be tasked with one simple job upon taking charge at the King Power: keeping Leicester in the Premier League.
That, however, will be no easy task given the financial ties that bound them, together with the FFP rules they are currently trying to obide by and amid claims they could yet face a points deduction for a breach of those rules.
Indeed, we can reveal Cooper has been chosen for his proven record in a Premier League dogfight, having steered Forest to safety in their first year back among the elite since 1999. Potter’s initial hesitancy at taking the job did also not help his cause.
And while Cooper departed the City Ground with just a 38.89% win record, his efforts in making their home ground something of a fortress, together with the unity he built up at the club, made him the ideal candidate.
To that end, it has been decided that Cooper is the man best suited to lead Leicester in what many at the club anticipate to be a hugely-difficult season and one in which they will start as one of the favourites for relegation.
Cooper wants Tottenham man as first Foxes signing
According to reports, Cooper and the Leicester board – driven by sporting director Martyn Glover – have already identified Tottenham defender Joe Rodon as their first summer signing.
The Wales defender enjoyed a brilliant season on loan with Leeds in the season just gone, proving a rock at the heart of their defence in his 50 appearances under Daniel Farke.
Despite Rodon’s best efforts, he could not help Leeds secure promotion back to the Premier League, with the Whites finishing third on 90 points – the highest-total not to secure automatic promotion since Sunderland in 1997/98.
Leeds also suffered play-off final heartache with Southampton edging them out 1-0 at Wembley, consigning the West Yorkshire side to another year of Championship football.
Nonetheless, they do still hope to make Rodon’s signing permanent this summer, with TEAMtalk aware the player himself remains open to a potential stay.
However, Leeds’ presence in the second tier means they will likely miss out on Rodon, with Ipswich and Southampton among those to have been linked.
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Now the Foxes are also ready to make their move, with Spurs unlikely to stand in his way if a £10m – £12m deal is agreed.
Tottenham expert Alasdair Gold has confirmed Rodon will now likely pick between the three Premier League new-boys.
“All three promoted clubs are interested in him: Ipswich, Leicester and Southampton. Leicester, as we said earlier, don’t have a manager at this moment in time, however, their recruitment team really like him, and if it was [Graham] Potter to come in, Potter worked with him at Swansea before, so I would imagine he would be pretty happy with that as a potential purchase as well,” he on Gold and Guest Tottenham podcast.
And while Leicester have now decided to go with Cooper instead, the newly-installed manager is understood to be keen to secure the signing of his countryman in what could prove his first piece of business at the King Power.