Steve Cooper is back working in football just four months after being sacked by Premier League side Leicester City. The former Nottingham Forest manager had been parachuted in by the Foxes ahead of their top-flight return, but after a disappointing start to life in charge was let go in November.
Having won just three of his 15 matches in charge of the East Midlands outfit, it perhaps wasn’t a surprise to see the Leicester hierarchy move so quickly in sacking Cooper. What they wouldn’t have imagined at the time was his replacement, Ruud van Nistelrooy, having fared just as badly, with Leicester now staring down the barrel of an immediate return to the Championship.
Regardless, Cooper has returned to the sport as a UEFA technical observer, with the Welshman having overseen his first match during the mid-week Champions League action. In his role, Cooper is responsible for analysing the game from a coaches’ perspective, as well as selecting the Player of the Match award.
Cooper will also have been tasked with producing a report that provides tactical feedback that can be used by up-and-coming coaches to help learn and develop from. His first match in the new role came during Inter Milan’s 2-0 victory away to Feyenoord on Wednesday night.
It’s a position several top managers have held throughout their careers, with Rafael Benitez, Avram Grant and ex-England boss Gareth Southgate having all held the role. Current Everton manager David Moyes also worked as a technical observer during Euro 2024, telling UEFA: "The most rewarding thing is to discuss so many things with a group of football people who have different opinions and ways of seeing things.
"It's really good to be part of that and I've brought information and ideas back from both the Euros and the Nations League. The ideas you get from watching the amazing coaching at the top level can be exploited all the way down to junior teams."
Similarly, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who is currently in charge of Turkish side Besiktas, also worked on the project. Reacting to his time as a technical observer, he said: "My role entails travelling to matches and analysing the technical quality and tactical approach closely, as well as picking a Player of the Match.
"It's a really great way of watching the top teams closely and keeping up with trends. I also get to meet new and old football acquaintances in a more relaxed setting."