A move for former Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper may be unrealistic at this point.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Wayne Rooney’s future at Birmingham City may be in jeopardy considering the team’s poor performance since John Eustace’s departure.
- Birmingham City’s board will surely not tolerate a subpar finish this season after investing heavily in summer transfers.
- Steve Cooper is being targeted as a potential replacement for Rooney, but a move feels too ambitious at this point.
It’s not a secret that Wayne Rooney has struggled at Birmingham City for much of his time at St Andrew’s.
Although the Manchester United legend seems to be Tom Wagner and Garry Cook’s man, he could be fighting for his future now considering how badly Blues have declined since the departure of John Eustace.
The Midlands side were in the play-offs when Eustace left – but things look much different for Birmingham now and the board may already be weighing up potential replacements for the 38-year-old.
Considering the board invested a fair amount during the summer transfer window, they won’t be accepting a poor finish this term.
| Birmingham City – 2023/24 Signings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player Name | Signed From | Loan/Permanent |
| Dion Sanderson | Wolves | Permanent |
| Lee Buchanan | Werder Bremen | Permanent |
| Ethan Laird | Man United | Permanent |
| Krystian Bielik | Derby County | Permanent |
| Tyler Roberts | Leeds United | Permanent |
| Koji Miyoshi | Royal Antwerp | Permanent |
| Keshi Anderson | Blackpool | Permanent |
| Cody Drameh | Leeds United | Loan |
| Emanuel Aiwu | Cremonese | Loan |
| Oli Burke | Werder Bremen | Loan |
| Jay Stansfield | Fulham | Loan |
| Siriki Dembele | AFC Bournemouth | Permanent
|
The BSHL era is over now – and a rise for Blues is much-needed to give them the best chance of avoiding the trap door to League One.
They have narrowly avoided the drop on too many occasions in their recent history – and they definitely have the potential to secure a promising finish considering the players they have at their disposal.
But where they finish at the end of the season and which manager they finish the campaign with is anyone’s guess at the moment.
Steve Cooper’s links to Birmingham City
The Sun have reported that Blues are targeting an audacious move for former Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper.
Cooper guided Forest to the Premier League in 2022 before keeping the Reds up at the end of last term.
They may have struggled at times this term – but he is a fondly remembered figure at the City Ground for his achievements.
Forest were at the bottom of the Championship when he arrived in the East Midlands – but he managed to turn things around very quickly and guided the club to promotion at the end of the same season.
A return to the second tier could potentially be on the horizon for the Welshman, who has also previously managed Swansea City.
And in a boost for Blues, they won’t need to pay any compensation to secure the 44-year-old because Forest didn’t put him on gardening leave before replacing him with Nuno Espirito Santo.
A Birmingham City move for Steve Cooper feels out of reach
Having already guided Swansea to back-to-back play-off finishes and secured promotion from the second tier with Forest, a move to Birmingham feels like a step backwards at the moment.
Blues have plenty of potential and there’s no doubt about that – but Cooper is reportedly open to a move to Crystal Palace who have been linked with him and that shows how impressive his appointment would be if the 44-year-old was to arrive at St Andrew’s.
Even if a move to Palace doesn’t materialise in the short term, he could easily come in at the end of the season if Hodgson leaves and there’s no rush for him to secure another job in the short term.
He spent more than two years at Forest which is a decent period for a manager, so he can afford to take a bit of time out of the game with his good reputation very much intact.
If Birmingham do dismiss Rooney and Cooper is their top target, they need to line up alternatives who could come in, because the Welshman could reject a move to St Andrew’s.
In terms of stature, Blues are a massive club, but they would do well to appoint the former Forest boss in their current position.
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