Leicester City

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Former Leicester goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer says he is "a little bit surprised" by Steve Cooper's sacking.

The Foxes were beaten 2-1 by a Chelsea side managed by former boss Enzo Maresca on Saturday - a defeat which left them two points above the relegation zone.

Cooper took over from Maresca in the summer after the Italian had led Leicester to the 2023-24 Championship title and promotion back into the Premier League.

The defeat by Chelsea was Leicester's sixth in the top flight this season and, afterwards, Cooper was critical of referee Andrew Madley's performance in the game.

"Leicester is not known for being a club that will sack managers quickly," the Australian told BBC Radio 5 Live. "They are not known to panic.

"At times some would say that perhaps they have held on too long to some managers.

"You did hear after the last few games that Cooper was pointing his finger a lot at the officials for decisions that had gone against Leicester and perhaps cost them."

Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton said that he "cannot believe" the news, adding: "I think they have had a reasonable start to the season, they are not in the relegation zone.

"The three promoted sides last season went straight back down. I think that decision is really harsh."

More of your views on Cooper's sacking:

Nigel: It was a bad error in appointing him in the first place. The fans were always going to struggle accepting a former Forest manager. This was an accident waiting to happen.

Simon: The only way this makes sense is if there’s someone else waiting in the wings. Irrespective of grumbles from fans about his tactics, 16th in the table shouldn’t cause a knee-jerk reaction. The next week might bring more news…

Tony: It was going to happen sooner or later. The form of players has dropped considerably along with some strange team choices. Then the results were definitely not happening, especially against lower end teams that we had to beat. Every City fan knows though that any new manager will have to get used to having a clueless Director of Football.

Will: Might seem like a backwards decision from the outside but you'd struggle to find many Leicester fans who'd disagree. His tactics have been unnecessarily negative at times and we've not produced a solid 90 mins yet. He's forever blaming referees and making substitutions too late in the game. We've got better players than the performances suggest.

Superfox19: It was inevitable that Cooper would be sacked being an ex-Forest manager. He predictably set up Leicester up to defend deeply in the first half and hope to 'nick' a goal late, as he had done at Forest. Yesterday's woeful first half performance against Chelsea demonstrated the folly of these tactics. He had to go.

Mario: Ridiculous decision - after an extensive search only a few months ago, how’s sacking the manager going to help with our struggle? We always knew we would struggle to stay up, and in most games we have at least been competing. But for a few late goals and odd decisions we could be mid-table? What now…no top manager is going to take the job.

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Former Leicester keeper Mark Schwarzer says the "name that jumps" out at him about who could succeed Steve Cooper is former Brighton and Chelsea boss Graham Potter.

Potter, who is believed to have held talks with the Foxes before they decided on Cooper, has been out of work since being dismissed by Chelsea in April 2023 following less than seven months in charge of the Stamford Bridge club.

"Would he be interested in taking on a team and club like Leicester? Why not? I think he would do a fantastic job," said Schwarzer.

Former West Ham boss David Moyes and Ruud van Nistelrooy could also come into contention.

Moyes left West Ham at the end of last season, while Van Nisterooy - who took interim charge of Manchester United following Ten Hag's exit - recently left the Old Trafford club after Ruben Amorim's appointment.

"We saw the job he [Van Nistelrooy] did at Manchester United, taking over at one of their lowest points of the season when they had just lost their manager.

"Van Nistelrooy took over and steadied the ship. Three wins and one draw during his time in charge.

"David Moyes has had a phenomenal career and has been underrated and underappreciated at times. Would he fit in at Leicester? Only they would know.

"But, for me, the first name that you would look at is Graham Potter. The style they have been playing in recent seasons will suit him and he would have every opportunity to build a very good team there."

Who do you think should succeed Cooper, Foxes fans?, external

We asked for your immediate reaction to Leicester's sacking of manager Steve Cooper.

Here are some of your responses:

Roobs07: Wasn’t up to the task and team selections were based on defensiveness without defenders of the calibre to do so. Interim manager outlook and could not get the best out of any players. Attacking players left out of selection or played late second half. Never a positive outlook.

Stephen: Cooper might feel hard done by as I’m not sure our squad has the quality to be too much higher but he was failing to inspire the fans and players alike (from what we could tell). I think if he’d remained in charge then we’d likely have been relegated.

Anish: Shocked and disappointed with this news. Cooper didn't have the backing of many of the fans but the results were not too bad and we did play well in spells. We've been unbeaten against our relegation rivals this season and been outside the relegation zone for a while, so I'm not sure what the board expects from him.

Barry: I think Cooper has been a scapegoat for the owner and shoddy recruitment. Faes et al not good enough. Cooper had a mountain to climb. Maresca would have failed in the same manner.

Danny: Strange decision but probably not the right appointment to begin with after becoming a Nottingham Forest legend. His CV speaks for itself. Sad he wasn’t given time to prove himself again.

Mick: It was only a matter of time really. The players are making too many mistakes, don’t seem to be able to step up a level when they need to and simply are not good enough. Cooper was the only man willing to have a go at the time when there was no money to spend and with points deductions looming too. Good luck to him in the future. Who is next?

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Leicester have had little trouble scoring on their return to the Premier League, having managed at least one goal in each of their first 10 league games.

But, Steve Cooper's Foxes recorded just two wins to show for it, with defensive struggles nullifying their proficiency at the other end.

Leicester have conceded 23 times - the third highest in the league behind Wolverhampton Wanderers (28) and Southampton (24).

They have also conceded the opening goal in 10 of their 12 Premier League matches this season, a league high.

They have also allowed the second highest amount of opposition shots in the league and, despite their good scoring run at the start of the season, have had the second fewest amount of shots in the top flight, behind Ipswich.

So, after just five months and 12 Premier League matches in charge, Leicester City have sacked manager Steve Cooper with the club in 16th.

What do you make of the decision Foxes fans? Did Cooper have enough time? Or was the writing on the wall?

Let us know here., external

Highlights and analysis from Saturday's seven Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

• Manchester City 0-4 Tottenham

A new episode of BBC Radio Leicester's When You're Smiling podcast is now available to download and listen to on BBC Sounds.

Hear all the post-match analysis from Saturday's 2-1 home defeat to Chelsea with former Foxes winger Matt Piper, plus manager Steve Cooper gives his thoughts.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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Leicester boss Steve Cooper, speaking to TNT Sports: "We’ve had some terrible luck with this referee. That's continued today. There’s also the game to talk about. Tough first half in terms of Chelsea territory and dominance with the ball. We gave away a poor goal. It should have been 0-0. We had two good chances ourselves in the first half.

"Defensively we were generally OK. We need to be showing good courage and belief. If we do that we can create chances and be a threat. We’ll always be disappointed with the goals we conceded.

"The big moment is the first penalty [not given], it’s clear what happened there. The second one was offside [before VAR] and you see how onside he was. That was the story of the officials’ game. You can [speak to them] after 30 minutes. I’m not sure if I will or won’t."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Leicester's performance, external

What did you make of Chelsea's display?, external

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Seven matches make up Saturday's Premier League action, and we will bring you every moment.

• Leicester v Chelsea - 12:30

• Bournemouth v Brighton

• Arsenal v Nottingham Forest (listen on BBC Radio 5 Live)

• Aston Villa v Crystal Palace

• Everton v Brentford

• Fulham v Wolves

• Man City v Tottenham - 17:30 (listen on BBC Radio 5 Live)

Kick-offs 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against a variety of guests.

For week 12 he takes on The Farm singer and Liverpool fan Peter Hooton.

The Farm's new single, Forever & Ever, is out now and their new album, Let The Music (Take Control), is released in May 2025.

Sutton's prediction: 1-3

Enzo Maresca is back at Leicester for the first time since he left to take charge of Chelsea in the summer, and I actually think his return will be quite straightforward for him and his side.

Leicester will be pretty happy with the way they have started the season, given they had to replace Maresca, but I still think Steve Cooper faces a hard job to keep them up.

The only thing that makes me question whether Chelsea will win is because you never know quite where teams are after the international break, and also how many of their injured players will still be out.

Cole Palmer was one of them, but I am willing to bet he will start this game. If he is fit, they will have a little bit too much for Leicester.

Hooton’s prediction: 1-2

Chelsea looked like a basket case in the summer but they impressed me at Anfield earlier this month - they had a gameplan and played really well. I texted the Chelsea fans I know, saying 'crisis over'. Moises Caicedo is looking good and Nicolas Jackson has started scoring but it is Cole Palmer who makes them tick. He is a joy to watch, like a park footballer really - he appears lazy and nonchalant, but he is total class.

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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The reception given by Leicester fans to Enzo Maresca at the King Power Stadium on Saturday lunchtime will be of particular interest given their recent shared history.

Maresca won the Championship with the Foxes last season with an impressive 97 points but chose to accept an offer to take charge of this weekend's opponents Chelsea rather than lead Leicester's return to the Premier League.

Nevertheless, the Italian spoke in glowing terms about his title-winning year in the East Midlands in his pre-match news conference.

"I'm excited and thankful, it was a fantastic season," he said. "The owner and his family are fantastic people. They care for players, staff, all of the people that work in the club. You can see that."

While Maresca's record at Leicester was impressive, some supporters struggled slightly with his patient brand of football at times. However, Pep Guardiola's former assistant was keen to praise the bond created within the club.

"It was a fantastic season because I met good people," he said. "There was a fantastic connection between the players and staff, and that is something you have to create to be successful.

"I'm still in contact with them - it was fantastic."

Arnav Bhatia
Fan writer

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Goals win games, but securing three points has not regularly been the case for Leicester City since their return to the Premier League this season.

Promoted teams usually struggle to score, but the Foxes managed to do so in each of their first 10 league games. The streak ended against Manchester United, and while the goalscoring record was impressive, Leicester have just two wins to show for it.

That is because defensive struggles have nullified their proficiency at the other end. Leicester have conceded 21 times – fourth highest in the league – and a figure that could have been higher if not for Mads Hermansen’s heroics in goal. Only two teams have conceded a higher tally for expected goals against (xGA) than Leicester’s 20.

Individual mistakes have plagued Leicester’s game, and it’s not just the backline at fault. The midfield pivot has been sloppy with their marking, losing their men several times.

While the players must take responsibility, Steve Cooper has failed to effectively implement his tactics on the pitch. They have allowed 194 opposition shots (second highest in the league), 114 passes into the penalty area (third highest), and 367 touches in the penalty area (third highest).

Additionally, the manager has yet to address Leicester’s defensive vulnerabilities in wide areas. He brought Ricardo Pereira into the line-up to shore up the backline, but the full-back’s injury leaves the manager with his original pairing of James Justin and Victor Kristiansen.

Leicester would consider avoiding relegation a success this season and are currently on course to do so, sitting 15th in the league. However, it appears that the team could be doing better.

Cooper has failed to bring out the best of this talented young Foxes squad, and more lacklustre defeats could signal the end of a short managerial stint.

The latest episode of the When You're Smiling podcast has landed.

BBC Radio Leicester's Owynn Palmer-Atkin is joined by former Leicester goalkeeping coach Mike Stowell and Foxes fan Paul Sherwood to discuss Steve Cooper's formation, Leicester's injury problems and the issues over their shirt sponsor.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Leicester have eased fears over their deal with shirt sponsors BC.Game after the online betting site was reportedly declared bankrupt.

The Foxes have been assured the issue will not impact their contract with their main sponsor.

BC.Game signed a two-year deal with the Foxes in the summer but have reportedly been declared bankrupt by a court in the Caribbean nation of Curacao, where they are registered.

A Leicester spokesman said: “We have been and continue to be in regular discussions with BC.Game with regard to an active legal case in Curacao.

"BC.Game have provided the club with the strongest assurances that they are actively appealing this case, and that the process which has been initiated in Curacao is administrative in nature and has not arisen due to any concerns with their financial standing.

”BC.Game have further assured us that they have no issues with liquidity and that they remain fully committed to meeting their ongoing contractual and financial obligations, including to the club, and that this case will not impact on BC.Game’s continuing international operations."

Millie Sian
BBC Sport journalist

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After an injury-riddled debut season, making just 13 appearances in Enzo Maresca's side during the Championship title-winning campaign, Leicester City looked set to cut their losses on Tom Cannon this summer.

Initially, when Leicester fought off fierce competition for the Everton academy graduate's permanent signature, fans and pundits thought the Foxes were beginning their succession planning for the eventual departure of Jamie Vardy.

After all, Vardy and Cannon have plenty of similarities. They are both pacey, enjoy playing off the shoulder of the last defender and can boast healthy shot conversion rates.

However, given how 2023-24 went, the Foxes sought to offload Cannon, only to fail in their hunt for a permanent club for the 21-year-old striker. Instead, they agreed a season-long loan with Championship side Stoke City - and the Potters are more than enjoying his services.

Cannon has become a permanent fixture in Narcis Pelach's side and made himself a fan favourite. He has already scored seven goals in all competitions this season, level with Stoke's top scorer for the whole of last term.

He does have a recall clause written into his loan contract and some Foxes fans are calling for an early return in the January transfer window to paper over the cracks appearing in Leicester's attack.

It had seemed the November international break was well timed for Leicester, with injured strikers Jamie Vardy and Patson Daka both returning to training during the two-week break.

However, the Foxes picked up two more absentees in attack, with Abdul Fatawu and Jordan Ayew both returning from international duty early with injuries, leaving Steve Cooper with one fully fit striker - Odsonne Edouard.

The Crystal Palace striker's loan is yet to bear fruit, with no Premier League start and having been absent from the matchday squad altogether in three of the nine league games since completing his move.

Goals win games and it will be impossible for Steve Cooper to rely mostly on the services of 37-year-old Vardy for the entirety of this season.

However, the question is whether Cannon is Premier League-ready yet, having only made three appearances in the competition during his time at Everton, and only recently getting regular first-team starts for the first time in his career.

He is definitely developing, but one gets the feeling Leicester should be looking to bring in an experienced and reliable goalscorer to make their fight for Premier League survival that little bit easier.

Matt Sandoz
BBC Radio Stoke sports editor

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For the first time in a long time, it seems Tom Cannon is bringing a genuine goalscoring threat to Bet365 Stadium, but it is now up to Stoke City to get the best out of him.

Head coach Narcis Pelach has previously said that having the Republic of Ireland international on the pitch gives his team the confidence that they can score goals, and Cannon's return of seven goals in 12 starts backs that argument up.

In fact, the Potters have gone on to win every single Championship game that Cannon has scored in.

Stoke fans would now like to see more goals from open play from the 21-year-old, as four of his seven goals have come from converted penalties.

Since relegation from the Premier League in 2018, Stoke City have never finished in the top half of the Championship. However, the feeling is that if Pelach can get the best out of Cannon this season, that target is certainly achievable.