Leicester City has fired manager Steve Cooper, leaving the club in sixteenth place in the Premier League after twelve games.
The Foxes were beaten 2-1 by Chelsea under former boss Enzo Maresca on Saturday, a defeat that left them two points above the relegation zone.
Cooper took over from Maresca in the summer after the Italian led Leicester to the 2023/24 Championship title and promotion back to the Premier League.
“The men’s first team training will be overseen by first team coach Ben Dawson, supported by coaches Danny Alcock and Andy Hughes, as the club begins the process of appointing a new manager, that we hope to complete as soon as possible,” said a Leicester City coach. statement.
Assistant manager Alan Tate and first-team coach and analyst Steve Rands have also left the club.
The defeat to Chelsea was Leicester’s sixth in the top flight this season and Cooper was subsequently critical of referee Andrew Madley’s performance in the match.
Speaking to BBC Sport, he also said: “I knew how tough the challenge of the season would be, both on and off the pitch, and it’s proving to be true, but that’s exactly how it comes back into the league.
“I believe we can do better, so that has to come into the performance to get the results.”
He is the second manager to be sacked in the Premier League this season, after Manchester United parted ways with Erik ten Hag in October.
Former Leicester goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer said he was “a bit surprised” by Cooper’s departure.
“Leicester is not known as a club that is quick to fire managers,” the Australian told BBC Radio 5 Live. ‘They are not known to panic.
“Some would sometimes say they may have kept some managers too long.
“You heard after the last few games that Cooper pointed the finger at the referees a lot because of decisions that went against Leicester and might have cost them a lot of money.”
Cooper took over at Leicester after a spell in charge at Nottingham Forest, who sacked him in December 2023.
The 44-year-old guided Forest to promotion to the top tier in 2022 and after keeping them in the division the following season, he was sacked midway through the 2023-24 season with the club in 17th place.
Cooper, who guided England Under-17s to victory at the 2017 World Cup, was also in charge of Swansea for two years and took them to the Championship play-off final in 2021, where they lost to Brentford.