Leicester City has sacked their manager, Steve Cooper, after a poor start to the Premier League season that left the team 16th on the table.
The decision followed Leicester’s 2-1 loss to Chelsea on Saturday, leaving the club just two points above the relegation zone. Cooper had taken over during the summer, replacing Enzo Maresca, who guided Leicester to promotion after winning the Championship last season.
In a statement, the club announced that first-team coach Ben Dawson will oversee training, supported by Danny Alcock and Andy Hughes, as the search for a new manager begins. The club hopes to appoint a replacement soon.
Leicester also parted ways with assistant manager Alan Tate and first-team coach Steve Rands. Their next Premier League match is against Brentford on November 30.
Speaking after the Chelsea game, Cooper expressed his frustration with the officiating and admitted the challenges of managing a newly promoted team.
“I knew how tough the challenge of the season was going to be both on and off the pitch. I believe we can do better, and that’s got to come in the performances to get the results,” Cooper told BBC Sport.
Steve Cooper, 44, previously managed Nottingham Forest, guiding them to Premier League promotion in 2022. Despite keeping Forest in the top flight the following season, he was dismissed in December 2023.
Cooper also coached Swansea City, leading them to the Championship play-off final in 2021. Additionally, he managed England’s Under-17 team to victory in the 2017 World Cup.
He becomes the second Premier League manager to lose his job this season after Erik ten Hag was dismissed by Manchester United in October.
