Steve Cooper is a leading contender to land a Championship job this summer after being dismissed by Leicester City in November.
Leicester sacked Cooper following a run of just two wins in his first 12 Premier League games this term and of course, replaced him with Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Although the Welshman was never a popular figure at the King Power Stadium, supporters would arguably take the 45-year-old over Van Nistelrooy.
The Foxes have crumbled since being marshalled by the Dutchman, with Leicester failing to score in their last eight matches and falling 15 points from safety.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 17 |  WolvesWolves | 31 | 9 | 5 | 17 | 43 | 59 | -16 | 32 |
| 18 |  IpswichIpswich | 31 | 4 | 8 | 19 | 31 | 65 | -34 | 20 |
| 19 |  LeicesterLeicester | 31 | 4 | 5 | 22 | 25 | 70 | -45 | 17 |
| 20 |  SouthamptonSouthampton | 31 | 2 | 4 | 25 | 23 | 74 | -51 | 10 |
Admittedly, with Leicester breaking several unwanted records, the appointment of Van Nistelrooy has been a complete disaster, and now, Cooper could come back to haunt his former side next season.
Steve Cooper is the leading contender for Southampton job
Since being sacked by City five months ago, the former Nottingham Forest boss has been busy refining other areas of his portfolio.
He’s featured as a pundit on a few occasions and Cooper also bagged a role as a UEFA Technical Observer in March, analysing some important Champions League matches.
But, with the 2024/25 campaign drawing to a close, the Welshman will perhaps be on the lookout for a new role.
Cooper was linked with the Middlesbrough job in February following the struggles of Michael Carrick and according to Birmingham World, he’s now a leading contender for the Southampton managerial vacancy.
Southampton were relegated from the Premier League on Sunday after losing 3-1 against Tottenham, becoming the quickest side in the history of the competition to fall through the trapdoor.
The Saints are also in danger of becoming the worst Premier League side of all time. They’ve only amassed 10 points from 31 games, so failing to take at least a point from their final seven games would make them worse them the Derby County side in 2007/08 (11 points).
Interestingly, if Cooper takes the job at St Mary’s, he could come back to haunt the Foxes next season as the two sides will be playing each other in the second tier.
Former Southampton boss Russell Martin is on Leicester’s radar
City are also on the lookout for a manager to replace Van Nistelrooy this summer. A few names have popped onto their radar and one of those is Russell Martin.
Leicester have been linked with Martin, who was sacked from his role at Southampton in December after initially winning promotion back to the Premier League with them.
So, it may set up an interesting scenario where, two managers who came against each other in the top flight, could now face off in opposite dugouts in the Championship.
That is if Southampton appoint Cooper and Leicester hire Martin. But only time will tell as to what both clubs decide to do.