Swansea City are set to appoint Steve Cooper as their new manager. Here are five things to know about him-
1. Has done an impressive job with England Under-17’s- He got the England U17’s job in 2015 and has been there since. The 39-year-old guided them to the World Cup in 2017.
2. Was a defender in his playing days- Cooper played for the likes of Wrexham, The New Saints, Rhyl and Bangor City before getting his UEFA Pro License twelve years ago.
3. Worked at Wrexham and Liverpool- He spent three years working as the head of youth development at Wrexham before he got a job at Liverpool in the academy. He worked with the likes of Raheem Sterling and Ben Woodburn at Anfield.
4. Cites José Segura as an influencer- Cooper worked with the Spanish coach at Liverpool. He has coached at Barcelona, AEK Athens and Olympiakos as well and Cooper apparently learnt a lot from him.
5. Adopts interesting style of play- Cooper likes his team to play attractive attacking football with a good organisational structure, which fits in well with the way Swansea have played over the past few years. His coaching experience in the past makes him and the Welsh an intriguing fit.
Handing Cooper his first steps in the Football League is a risk by Swansea but could turn out to be a masterstroke if he can implement his ideas. He has done a great job with England U17’s and deserves a crack at the Liberty Stadium.
