Middlesbrough and Ipswich Town should be wary about potential Nottingham Forest decision: View | OneFootball

Highlights

Steve Cooper’s position as Nottingham Forest manager is currently under significant threat.

The Reds are in their second season back in the Premier League, with Cooper having safely guided them to a 16th place finish last year after gaining promotion.

Cooper is a fan favourite at the City Ground for his role in bringing the club back to the top flight for the first time in over 20 years, but four defeats in a row has put a strain on his position.

A 5-0 hammering at the hands of Fulham midweek has only added to the pressure that the former Swansea City boss is now under.

It remains to be seen how much longer the 43-year-old will remain in the dugout in the City Ground, especially after the first Premier League sacking of the season has now finally been confirmed at Sheffield United.

This could kick-start a managerial merry go round going into 2024 that will have multiple Championship sides worried.

In particular, Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough will be wary of what top flight clubs might be looking for new managers in the coming weeks.

The likes of Crystal Palace and West Ham may also be in line to change managers, with Roy Hodgson in particular souring his relationship with Eagles supporters with his recent comments.

The work Kieran McKenna and Michael Carrick have done in the last year or so has been especially impressive, and could attract the attention of the Premier League.

Forest will no doubt be keeping an eye on the pair and could potentially look to appoint one of them to take the reins in place of Cooper.

This would be a disaster for both clubs, with Ipswich in particular aiming to fight for a top two spot in the second division this campaign.

McKenna guided the team back into the Championship last season and could now go for back-to-back promotions.

Meanwhile, Carrick’s results this campaign haven’t been quite as impressive as last year, or as McKenna’s at Ipswich, but he has still earned a lot of plaudits for what he has done at the Riverside.

Given his reputation as one of the most successful midfielders in English football history, that will also boost the chances of a top flight team taking a keen eye on his progress as a manager.

Middlesbrough will be hoping to hold onto the former England international, who has turned things around quite well at Boro after the team was falling apart under Chris Wilder.

He led the side to a fourth place finish last year, narrowly missing out a place in the play-off final after a 1-0 loss to Coventry City on aggregate.

Boro haven’t quite maintained their competitiveness this year, but there are many factors besides the manager that have been the cause for this.

Carrick’s management of the team has still stood out, alongside McKenna, making the two of them likely candidates to make the jump up to the top flight mid-season.