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Steve Cooper would be a statement appointment for Sheffield Wednesday – but is it realistic?
Leicester City manager Steve Cooper.
Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images

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leeclarke0508

Cooper would be the dream but would he drop to L1? Challinor knows the league. Heckingbottom not for me and Edwards not entirely convinced on him either. Gary Rowett anyone?

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With that said, we’ve had a look at Cooper’s managerial record, what he could bring to Wednesday and if he’d actually drop to League One.

Steve Cooper managerial record

Cooper is still relatively young in managerial terms, having only managed four clubs at senior level, with Nottingham Forest the standout spell of his career.

The Welshman took charge of Forest as a struggling Championship side and managed to get them promoted to the Premier League in his first season, ending a 23-year absence from the top flight.

Cooper kept Forest up and then left midway through the following season. Since then, he’s had unsuccessful spells at Leicester City and Brondby.

Team From To Played Won Drawn Lost Win %
England U17 Jul 2015 Jun 2019 66 45 11 10 68.18%
Swansea Jun 2019 Jul 2021 105 47 28 30 44.76%
Forest Sep 2021 Dec 2023 108 42 27 39 38.89%
Leicester Jun 2024 Nov 2024 15 3 5 7 20.00%
Brondby Sep 2025 May 2026 28 10 6 12 35.71%
Steve Cooper’s managerial record

How would Cooper set up at Sheffield Wednesday?

Cooper is a flexible manager in terms of formations, as he’s often gone between a 4-2-3-1 and a back-three system.

Given Wednesday players are used to playing 4-2-3-1 under Pedersen, Cooper would likely continue with that shape and make a few adaptations to the core principles.

The 46-year-old loves pace and physicality. He’s big on hitting teams quickly in transition and is comfortable with his teams having less possession.

“If we are at our best, we play fast attacking football, on the floor, with good creative play and we’re creating loads of chances,” Cooper said when he was Swansea boss.

At Forest, he explained a similar philosophy: “We’re a humble side, we work hard for each other. We dig in, we’re not scared to play quick attacking football… we’ve got good honest players.”

Cooper won’t be afraid to play direct and use the channels. It’s all about hurting teams when they are out of position, and that’s best achieved with speed.

Would Cooper come to Sheffield Wednesday?

Cooper is being somewhat written off as an unrealistic target for Wednesday, but I’m not sure that should be the case.

The Welshman was sacked by Danish side Brondby in May, so his stock is a lot lower than it was previously, and he will accept that a Championship job is probably his ceiling.

Wednesday are a huge club in League One and, under new ownership, it’s probably a more attractive job than most in the second tier.

Going from Brondby to Sheffield Wednesday isn’t a step down, especially considering the ambition of the Owls.

Cooper would surely have talks with the board, at least.

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