Nottingham Forest have identified Steve Cooper as a potential successor to Chris Hughton, who has been sacked by the Reds this morning. 

A report from The Athletic on the back of Hughton's departure has confirmed that Cooper is on their radar and, seemingly, an early candidate to come into the club.

Cooper, 41, left Swansea City over the summer after two years in the Championship.

During his two years in Swansea, Cooper led the club to back-to-back play-off finishes in the Championship, as well as developing a number of youngsters and offering them a platform to shine.

Last year, Swansea reached the play-off final, manoeuvring themselves past Barnsley to go within 90 minutes of a Premier League return.

Ultimately, Cooper's side were beaten by Brentford at Wembley. As the summer that followed dragged on, Cooper departed Swansea ahead of the final year of his contract.

Prior to taking the Swansea job, Cooper thrived in the England youth set-up, working with the likes of Jadon Sancho and Phil Foden, winning the U17 World Cup.

Hughton departs Forest after losing six of their opening seven league fixtures this season. Forest are rock bottom of the Championship table and have a single point to their name.

Steven Reid has been placed in temporary charge of the club ahead of Saturday's meeting with Huddersfield Town.

The Verdict 

Forest want a 'modern thinker' and someone that has a track record of developing young players.

Steve Cooper, then, fits the bill. He's worked wonders with some of England's finest young players and had relative success at club level with Swansea, where young players thrived once more.

The likes of Brennan Johnson would surely love to work with Cooper, who at this moment in time, feels like a standout candidate to come into the club and replace Hughton.

Even at this early stage of the season, his first focus would have to be on safety. However, long-term, there could be more ambition shown.

Thoughts? Let us know!