Nottingham Forest are eyeing Rafael Benitez as a possible replacement for Steve Cooper, who is fighting to save his job after a 4-0 defeat at Leicester City left his side bottom of the Premier League.
Cooper’s future is in serious doubt after five successive defeats. The 42-year-old is expected to be sacked soon, despite being the manager who in May guided Forest back to the Premier League for the first time in 23 years.
Forest invested heavily after promotion, spending more than £150m on 23 signings in a turbulent summer. Cooper, appointed in September 2021 when the club were bottom of the Championship, has understandably found it difficult to integrate so many players.
Cooper, who is regarded by the Football Association as a potential future England manager, stalled after Forest offered him a new deal in the summer. Forest have not won in the league since beating West Ham on August 14 and have since suffered embarrassing capitulations to gain ground at home to fellow promoted Bournemouth and Fulham.
A disastrous run has left Cooper on thin ice and Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is understood to be interested in appointing Benitez. The former Liverpool, Newcastle and Real Madrid manager has been out of work since being sacked by Everton in January. He has said he would like to work in the Premier League again.
Although his spell at Everton went sour, his organizational qualities helped him keep Newcastle in the Premier League after he won promotion with them in 2017.
Sean Dyche is another potential option for Forest. Dyche has been out of work since being sacked by Burnley in April. He has a wealth of experience in keeping a struggling team in the Premier League.