Leicester City are looking for a new boss after sacking Steve Cooper
Steve Cooper, who previously led Swansea and Nottingham Forest, was fired by the Premier League club on Monday due to a poor start at the King Power Stadium. After taking over from Enzo Maresca in the summer following promotion to the top flight, Cooper managed only two wins from the first 12 league games.
Carrick is a potential candidate, but Boro has yet to receive an official approach. Sources indicate that such a move has ‘no chance of happening’.
Carrick would undoubtedly have impressed Leicester officials last season when he led Boro to a league double over the eventual champions. However, Carrick’s focus remains on Wednesday’s game against Blackburn Rovers, and it appears unlikely that he will leave Boro at this time, even if approached.
Leicestershire Live reports that the search for a new manager is still ‘wide open’. Carrick’s name became more well-known late on Monday, when his odds were dramatically reduced. At Bet365, he started as a 33/1 outsider and later moved up to second place at 3/1. Fortunately, his odds have since dropped to 20/1, with fellow Manchester United legend Ruud Van Nistelrooy the current favourite.
As things stand, Foxes officials do not appear to have a preferred candidate, though Leicestershire Live reports that their goal is to have someone in place before returning to action at the weekend. This further strengthens Boro’s position, as Carrick signed a new three-year contract in the summer.
The fact that West Brom manager Carlos Corberan was a summer target for Leicester is also significant. However, the Foxes chose Cooper because of the £4 million compensation package required to entice the Spaniard away from the Hawthorns. Given the new contract, Boro would almost certainly have demanded the same amount, if not more, to allow Carrick to relocate to the King Power Stadium. It’s why, as well as Nistelrooy, fellow out-of-work managers Graham Potter and David Moyes are also being linked.
They are the two names who Leicester legend Emile Heskey thinks should be considered, telling William Hill: “Leicester must decide between a long-term plan or taking the short-term view of just having somebody to keep you up this season. Long term, they should go for Graham Potter but if they want somebody to keep them up, it must be David Moyes.
“They went from Brendan Rodgers who had his style of play, to Enzo Maresca who had a different style of play to then Steve Cooper who completely changed the style again, there was no continuity. For me, the club must select a manager to suit the players at the club and suit the mould.
“Cooper did not fit that, and it was always going to be tough for him and the players to go straight into the Premier League and try to stay up in those circumstances. The appointment was a strange one. Let’s hope they can get the next appointment right.”
As for Carrick, he has continually proclaimed his contentment at Boro, having been at the helm at the Riverside for a little over two years now. Earlier this month, after Boro’s victory against Luton Town, Carrick got down with US broadcaster CBS Sports and was quizzed about his managerial ambition.
He said: “To be honest, I just enjoy working with the players here. I really do. I’m not seeking for anything different. I’m not desperate and I’m not chasing anything else. I appreciate the coaching, I enjoy teaching younger players and I enjoy establishing a squad and being part of something.
“I’ve been here just over two years now, which feels like a long time, but equally, there still feels like a lot of work to do. I’m quite calm, I’m excited to be here and I really enjoy working here. It’s a really great club.”
There’s no doubt that Boro’s progress, form and attractive style of play since Carrick took over will prove attractive to Premier League clubs, however. Only this weekend, talkSport analyst Tony Cascarino was putting forth the Boro boss’s name as a prospective option for West Ham – with boss Julen Lopetegui under pressure ahead to a strong win on Monday evening against Newcastle United.
Cascarino told talkSport: “Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough were a bit flying. A great old win yesterday, 6-2, leading goalscorers in the Championship at the moment [on 29 goals]. They’re sixth in the Championship and there’s been a bit of a turnaround there.
“So he’ll be an obvious contender for someone like West Ham. Because the fans would undoubtedly embrace one of their players that they had many moons ago and provide a brand of football that West Ham fans so much want.”
Boro will be hoping Cascarino’s ideas are ignored for the time being as they aim to continue their adventure with Carrick for as long as possible. The aim, ambition, and concentration remain on gaining Premier League promotion.
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