Former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan has now spoken about the speculation linking Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper to the club.
Roy Hodgson may reportedly come under more pressure if results and performances do not start to improve soon, whilst Cooper’s role at Forest may also be at risk in the coming months.
It would be something of a surprise if Forest parted ways with Cooper, as the 43-year-old helped achieve a historic promotion before keeping them in the Premier League last season, but Palace are reportedly strong admirers of him.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Jordan questioned whether Palace were actually interested in Cooper, and hinted that a move looks unlikely.
“Once upon a time, Cooper was mentioned as someone that (current Crystal Palace chairman) Steve Parish likes. Didn’t employ him but quite liked him. So that is now the link to Palace.
“I would suggest that making the link to another football club because once upon a time they expressed an interest is a leap. No journalist knows what Steve Parish is thinking when Roy Hodgson is in situ.
“I would be surprised. This time last year, we were talking about the knives being out for Steve Cooper. And then he got a new contract!”
Although he could be an excellent appointment, for now it seems fairly unlikely that Roy Hodgson will be dismissed before his contract expires at the end of the season.
A departure for Cooper may also be unlikely. Although he may be under pressure, he signed a new contract last season when rumours circulated that he could be sacked.
In the unlikely event that Cooper is dismissed mid-season with the Crystal Palace role available at the same time, it is still unclear whether Cooper would be open to taking a new job immediately halfway through the season, or whether he would prefer to wait until the summer.
Steve Parish backed Hodgson before, and it would be surprising if a drastic move is made whilst the club are some distance ahead of the relegation zone.
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