Steve Cooper aiming high after taking Brondby head coach role | OneFootball

Steve Cooper has declared his determination to take Brondby back to the top of Danish football after being appointed their new head coach.

The 45-year-old Welshman returns to management for the first time since leaving Leicester last November having signed a deal at the Copenhagen club until the summer of 2028.

Cooper had previously been a World Cup winner with the England Under-17 team and had spells at Swansea and Nottingham Forest, whom he guided into the Premier League in May 2022.

“I want exactly what you want: a team that wins trophies and gets back to the top of Danish football,” Cooper said in an open letter to Brondby fans on the club website.

“I admire the values that the club holds. Its roots in its local community. The dedication of the supporters who follow it.

“I am ambitious to win and to see what this club can do when it is at its very best.

“The ownership of Brondby feel the same way and their vision for the club is a major part of why I am here. I embrace the challenge and I know the players will too.

“I believe that with us all together – players, staff and fans  – we will be a formidable force.”

Cooper will begin his role as soon as his work permit is processed and Brondby expect him to be in charge for Saturday’s derby against FC Copenhagen.

Cooper twice led Swansea into the Championship play-offs during his first role in club management between 2019 and 2021.

After ending Forest’s 23-year wait for top-flight football, Cooper kept them in the division the following season.

But he was sacked by owner Evangelos Marinakis in December 2023 and replaced by Nuno Espirito Santo before spending just five months at Leicester.

Brondby director of football Benjamin Schmedes told the club website: “Steve is that rare combination of youth and experience, vision and personality.

“He is a man who can embrace a club like ours and lift both the individual player and the entire club to a new level.”

Brondby, who finished third last season, are currently fourth in the Danish Superliga – four points behind leaders FC Copenhagen after seven games.