HLTCO presenter Dan Cook has praised Steve Cooper amid talk that he could end up replacing Roy Hodgson as Crystal Palace manager.
What's the latest on Steve Cooper to Palace?
Earlier this month, the Eagles made the bold call to sack Patrick Vieira with the club in poor form and edging closer and closer to the relegation zone.
It's now been announced that former coach Hodgson will take charge until the end of the campaign, tasked simply with keeping Palace in the Premier League with 11 games left to play.
In the summer, however, they will likely be on the hunt for a new manager regardless of whether they stay up or not – and it seems as though Nottingham Forest boss Cooper is a primary candidate.
Indeed, as per the Daily Mail, the 43-year-old is someone the club will hope to target at the end of the season.
While talking about all this on HLTCO, Cook offered his opinion on the matter, saying: "You look at Steve Cooper, a man at Nottingham Forest who is seemingly on the verge.
"I mean, I've heard different reports about Nottingham Forest being prepared to part ways with Steve Cooper. I'm not sure how solid those rumours are.
"But of course, he was a manager that was previously linked with Crystal Palace prior to our decision to go with Patrick Vieira.
"And he knows Marc Guehi very, very well from their time together with the England under-17s setup.
"He is, for my money, a fantastic coach and someone that I wouldn't necessarily be against getting in as the new Palace boss for a long-term process."
Would Cooper be a good fit as Crystal Palace manager?
As Cook alludes to, Cooper could soon be leaving Forest. However, it's not necessarily because he's done a poor job there but more because he's a wanted man.
The Daily Mail claims a number of Premier League clubs have been impressed by the work he's done at the City Ground and so he is "currently under consideration" for at least two unnamed sides in the top flight.
With that in mind, it might not be easy for Palace to land him even if they want but perhaps his past relationship with key man Guehi could help in convincing Cooper to join – after all, the 22-year-old centre-back has played 59 times for his former England youth coach already in his career.
This certainly looks like one rumour to keep an eye on.
