In his first move since being named Leicester City manager, Steve Cooper has reportedly already set his sights on a first summer recruit.
The Welshman was named successor to Enzo Maresca following a three-week process, beating Graham Potter to the post. It marks his return to Premier League management having parted ways with East Midlands rivals Nottingham Forest six months ago, now Cooper has a huge task at hand to make sure City ‘s first campaign back in the top-flight is a successful one.
Often it can be the smallest of margins that determine whether a team retains their Premier League status or not come May, and so steps are reportedly being made to ensure the Foxes get the best out of one particular facet of the game – set pieces.
To this end, the Mail Online claim that Cooper is ‘poised’ to add highly-rated coach Andrew Hughes, who specialises in dead-ball situations, to his new-look Leicester backroom staff.
The former Reading and Leeds United player, who reportedly leaves a post at Norwich City, is appreciated within the industry. It is said City have managed to fend off similar interest from Brentford, whose set-piece coach Bernardo Cueva will move to Chelsea, with the club’s training facilities a major swaying factor.
Last season in the second tier the Canaries were the third-best attacking side from set-pieces, scoring 18, whilst conceding 12 from defensive dead-ball situations. Leicester themselves managed to only score 11 and conceded 13.
