Steve Cooper is the man Nottingham Forest want to replace Chris Hughton with, according to The Athletic.

The Reds are on the lookout for their 14th permanent manager since the summer of 2011, after parting company with Chris Hughton this morning.

Forest's 2-0 defeat at home to Middlesbrough last night was their sixth of the season already, with the Reds picking up only one point from their first seven games.

That led to Hughton's inevitable departure this morning, and according to The Athletic, Cooper is among the candidates to replace him.

Here, we take a look at two pros and two cons to Forest appointing Cooper...

Pro: Positive record despite inexperience

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Cooper made a name for himself in the England youth setup, guiding the Under-17s to World Cup success in 2017, working with players such as Phil Foden, Morgan Gibbs-White, Marc Guehi and Callum Hudson-Odoi along the way.

He then became Swansea manager in 2019 - his first stint in management at club level - and in his two seasons at the Liberty Stadium, he guided the club to a play-off semi-final and then a play-off final the following year.

For a manager who is only relatively new to managing at club level, he has showed glimpses of real ability and promise.

Pro: His work with young players

As mentioned before, Cooper is known for working really well with young players.

He guided England's Under-17s to the FIFA World Cup in 2017, where they beat Spain by five goals to two in the final.

At Swansea, he developed the likes of Gibbs-White, Freddie Woodman, Guehi and Rhian Brewster, and they have all improved since then.

Forest have a plethora of young players coming through the ranks, and it would be interesting to see he worked with the likes of Brennan Johnson and Alex Mighten going forward.

Con: History repeating itself?

Cooper left Swansea after reportedly growing concerned about the direction of the club.

At the end of last season, he will have known that Swansea would no longer receive parachute payments, and the club were unable to keep hold of the likes of Andre Ayew, Jamal Lowe and Connor Roberts.

Forest endured a difficult summer where they were unable to spend big on targets, without cashing in on the likes of Joe Worrall or Johnson.

Fans are frustrated with the Forest hierarchy and are demanding change, so would it be a right fit given Cooper's previous relationship with Swansea's board.

Con: Does a 3-4-1-2 suit Forest?

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Cooper's preferred formation last season was the 3-4-1-2 system, and is likely to want to stick with his guns if he got the Forest job.

Whilst Forest have wing-backs like Djed Spence and Max Lowe who could fit into that system with relative ease, and three centre-halves in Scott McKenna, Worrall and Loic Mbe Soh, do they have the right players going forward?

They only have two out-and-out strikers in Lyle Taylor and Lewis Grabban, having failed to bring in another centre forward in the summer.

Brennan Johnson could play up top, but it would take some adjusting for the 20-year-old who is seen more as a winger or attacking midfielder.