Southampton 'considered' appointing Premier League manager at St Mary's

Southampton looked at Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper even before they hired Ralph Hasenhuttl in 2018, claims journalist Dean Jones.

With Hasenhuttl currently under pressure at St Mary’s, the 42-year-old was recently linked with a switch to the Saints.

Despite Forest being in the relegation zone, Cooper was recently handed a new contract at the City Ground.

Speaking after the news of his extension, the Forest boss told Sky Sports: “You don’t just want to succeed in good moments – if you really love who you work for, you want to succeed through difficult periods.”

The above comes after the Daily Mail claimed that Southampton had identified Cooper as a possible replacement for Hasenhuttl.

According to the newspaper, the Saints manager is in danger of losing his job and Cooper is someone who was of interest to the south coast club.

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Jones has told GIVEMESPORT that this is not the first time Southampton have looked at Cooper.

Speaking to GMS, the journalist said: "Even before they took Hasenhuttl, they were looking at Cooper. So when Cooper's job was in question and his name was being mentioned, I was thinking that makes a lot of sense."

Yes, regardless of whether Cooper is available or not. The Saints are obviously not doing that well right now, finding themselves inside the relegation zone. Nevertheless, Hasenhuttl is still a good manager.

Since arriving at the club, the Austrian has kept Southampton out of serious relegation trouble.

He has also picked up some big wins, including this season against Chelsea, and has impressed some of the top managers in the league.

"The first 20 to 25 minutes, they