Nottingham Forest are closing in on the appointment of Steve Cooper as the club's new manager after agreeing compensation with Swansea City, a report from Sky Sports has claimed.

Following the sacking of Chris Houghton in the wake of a sixth defeat in seven league games in Wednesday night's defeat to Middlesbrough, Forest are now searching for a new manager.

Now it seems as though that will be Cooper, with the 41-year-old seemingly close to a move to The City Ground.

According to this latest update, Forest have now agreed a £1.2million compensation fee with Swansea, opening the door for them to make the appointment.

Despite him leaving Swansea at the end of last season after their defeat in the play-off final, the Welsh club are still entitled to compensation for Cooper, due to him being under contract with the club until next summer.

The final terms of Cooper's contract at Forest are now being discussed, with Steven Reid set to take interim charge of the club against Huddersfield on Saturday afternoon.

It is thought that Cooper's record of working with young players has made him the preferred candidate for Forest, with 14 members of their first-team squad currently under the age of 25.

The Verdict

This looks to be a good move from Forest to agree this compensation with Swansea quickly.

After Forest's dismal start to the season, it was important for them to move quickly to make an appointment, so they do not get left behind in the Championship table.

That is something they now look set to do with the appointment of Cooper, and his experience, and success, with young players, could make him a very useful presence in the City Ground dugout.

It is also worth noting that Cooper did arguably exceed expectations in getting Swansea to the play-offs in the last two seasons, so that could suit him well with a Forest side who are rather unfancied at the minute.