Leicester City manager Steve Cooper is reportedly facing a revolt with a number of first team players unhappy with his management style. Cooper took over from now Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca this summer, after the Italian had led the Foxes to the Championship title.
Cooper begun his reign with a creditable home draw with Tottenham, but the pressure has since built after back-to-back defeats.
His side were beaten 2-1 at Fulham, before losing at home to Aston Villa by the same scoreline to leave them 15th in the table ahead of a trip to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
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And according to The Sun, Leicester’s senior players are struggling to adapt to Cooper’s laidback approach. The former Swansea and Nottingham Forest boss has become renowned for allowing his squad to offer their own input into tactics and training, a far cry from Maresca’s authoritative manner.
He’s also said to have consulted squad members on potential signings. That has left a number of players perplexed, with many not used to a manager being prepared to share his responsibilities and ask for opinions.
Cooper is said to be relaxed about the situation, and prepared to accept his squad will need time to get used to his style of leadership. But a defeat at Selhurst Park this weekend is likely to set alarm bells ringing ahead of what is already being billed as a crucial game with Everton awaiting the following week.
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Cooper and the club have been handed a huge boost during the international break though, after learning they would escape a points deduction after being charged with a breach of Profitability and Sustainability Rules. However, the 44-year-old has since voiced frustration that the verdict wasn’t delivered until after the summer transfer window had closed.
Claiming the issue affected his work in the market, he said: “It is obviously a positive thing for the club and the supporters to have clarity. I guess that was the biggest thing for you in the club to deal with the uncertainty.
“There is probably some frustration on my part, in terms of things that may have been a little bit different in the transfer window. Maybe we could have spent less or more money, or made certain decisions. So there is an element for me that it would have been better if it was a little bit earlier.”
Cooper’s stint at Leicester signifies his second Premier League job, after leading Forest to the top flight in the 2021/22 season. He duly kept the club up in their first season back in the big time since 1998/99, but was sacked last December with the side battling relegation.
He’d previously spent two seasons at Swansea, leading them to the Championship play-offs in back-to-back campaigns. The ex-Welsh league player has also worked with England under-17s, leading them to an age group World Cup win in 2017.
