Former Leicester City manager Steve Cooper has been tipped for a prompt return to England.
The 45-year-old has been in charge at Danish side Brøndby IF since September.
Wolves should look at Steve Cooper imo.
Kept Forest up in their first season back, did well with a poor Leicester/was harshly sacked. He’s doing superb at Brondby atm. If Wolves want a UK manager, there’s your man.
If Wolves go down, Cooper will get you back up. #wwfc pic.twitter.com/xX9OnZTI28
— Ryan Bird (@MolineuxExpress) November 5, 2025
A New Path: How Cooper Is Looking To Reinvent Himself
When Leicester City announced Cooper’s appointment in June last year, the headlines emphasised his ability to develop players and enact a “dynamic style of play” that the club believed aligned with their aspirations after promotion to the Premier League.
The optimism was there, with a manager holding a good pedigree, having guided Nottingham Forest to promotion and survival, who was stepping into the King Power Stadium.
However, the honeymoon period proved remarkably short-lived. Leicester failed to win any of their opening six league games. Results never quite improved sufficiently. By late November, after just 12 Premier League matches, the club sat 16th and only marginally clear of the drop zone.
Then, last November, the club announced they had “parted company” with Cooper with immediate effect.
But what went wrong? Several issues had emerged, suggesting that the squad might not have been fully aligned with his methods, and that the transition from the Championship style of play to the demanding requirements of the Premier League had exposed weaknesses in both personnel and structure, especially after controlling and posession dominant performances in the Championship under former manager Enzo Maresca, who departed to Chelsea after promotion with Leicester City.
Criticism centred on a lack of identity, limited attacking threat and defensive instability.
At Leicester City, Cooper’s tenure served as a cautionary tale, the momentum from past successes can only carry a manager so far, especially at a club recovering from promotion and grappling with high expectations.
Where Might He End Up In The Future?
Steve Cooper bliver ny cheftræner for Brøndby IF.
Den 45-årige, walisiske cheftræner kommer til Vestegnen med et CV, der tæller klubber som Nottingham Forest, Swansea City og senest Leicester City.
Læs mere: https://t.co/unHuo4wFQZ pic.twitter.com/ok0xZp9dvy
— Brøndby IF (@BrondbyIF) September 9, 2025
Steve Cooper’s time at Brøndby IF has been steady, if unspectacular. Since arriving in the Danish Superliga, he’s quietly gone about reshaping the squad in his image, structured, organised, and tactically disciplined. His 4-2-3-1 system has brought balance, while players like Nicolai Vallys and Mathias Kvistgaarden have benefited from his clear demands for intensity and work rate.
Brøndby look more compact defensively and sharper in transitions, traits that reflect Cooper’s meticulous approach. Results have improved gradually, with the side showing resilience against some of the league’s stronger teams. It’s a project still taking shape, but one that hints at stability and progression.
For Cooper, Denmark offers space to rebuild both his confidence and his reputation. Whether he’s fully content in his new surroundings is unclear; this will likely not be his final destination, but it could be a long-term move if the foundations continue to strengthen.
Former Danish international Stig Tøfting believes that Cooper may be unhappy at Brøndby, his post-match comments after a loss to FC Nordsjaelland showed his disdain with the performance, hinting at his unhappiness in Denmark.
“He has a contract until June 30, 2028. I don’t believe that Steve Cooper will be coach at Brøndby until June 30, 2028. If a proper offer comes from a Premier League club, he’ll leave,”
“If Steve Cooper comes up with this, then you have to support it. Then you have to say what it is that you want, and then we can decide on it,” Tøfting explained.
“We can’t comment on the things he’s bringing up now, but he’s obviously unhappy with something…”
Where Steve Cooper goes next could define the next phase of his career. His stock, though bruised by spells at Nottingham Forest and Leicester City, remains respectable, particularly among clubs seeking stability and a proven developer of talent.
A return to England seems plausible, with several sides in transition. The vacant Wolverhampton Wanderers job could appeal, a Premier League side with a young, technical squad that fits Cooper’s structured but progressive approach.
Equally, a top-end Championship role might tempt him, Birmingham City, for instance, are reportedly considering changes with Chris Davies under pressure from ambitious new owners. For Cooper, the choice may hinge on timing.
Whether it’s a project in England’s top flight or another rebuild in the second tier, his next move will be about building a squad and instilling his own style of play and reminding everyone why he was once regarded as one of Britain’s brightest coaches.
