Steve Cooper will forever be loved by Nottingham Forest fans but it’s fair to say that he made some mistakes during his time at the club.
The Reds boss became the first man to bring Premier League football back to Forest in 23 years and for that the fan base will forever be indebted.
His departure did coincide with an upturn in fortunes though, with Nuno Espirito Santo reviving the football club following his arrival.
One thing that Cooper didn’t help himself with during the 2023/24 campaign was his stubborn approach to players seemingly forced upon him.
As the head coach, as opposed to a manager, a recruitment team was always going to sign some of the players, but Cooper seemed to have an issue with that.
One of his decisions during last season was instrumental in his eventual departure with the player in question now doing great things at his latest club.
Photo by Sathire Kelpa/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Photo by Sathire Kelpa/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Andrey Santos stars during Strasbourg victory
It feels like every single week that Santos is in the news for doing something utterly brilliant and it appears as though it’s happened all over again.
Santos played for just seven minutes in the Premier League for Forest, with Chelsea choosing to recall him from his loan spell during the January transfer window after Cooper’s exit.
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The Brazilian midfielder is now part of a Strasbourg team that looks on course for European football with Strasbourg up to seventh after a 2-1 win over Toulouse.
Santos scored the winning goal for the Ligue 1 outfit yesterday with a quite spectacular long-distance effort that left fans shellshocked.
The youngster is quickly becoming one of the best midfielders in Ligue 1 this season and it remains to be seen if he will have a part to play for Chelsea in the future.
Andrey Santos stats 2024/25
His form in France is in stark contrast to what he managed to achieve at the City Ground during his six-month loan spell at Forest.
Santos played for seven minutes during a 3-0 defeat to Liverpool, whilst he also made a single appearance in the Carabao Cup against Burnley.
In France, however, he’s earned regular game time under Liam Rosenior with the former Derby County boss helping him to the next level.
Andrey Santos stats 2024/25 Total
Appearances 24
Tackles 84
Interceptions 20
Blocks 35
Key Passes 22
Santos was clearly unwanted by Cooper. It speaks volumes about his stubborn approach, however, that the youngster couldn’t even get a game despite Forest struggling for form.
The former Forest head coach but be wondering what might have been had he chosen to pick Santos a little bit more often when he had him at his disposal at Forest.