Cooper moves to the King Power just six months after being sacked by local rivals Nottingham Forest and has signed a three-year deal with last season’s Championship champions.
He replaces Maresca who has moved to Chelsea to replace Mauricio Pochettino.
But just days ago, it seemed that another man would be in the Leicester dugout instead: Potter.
Multiple reports suggested that the former Brighton and Chelsea boss was on the verge of returning to management, having been out of work since his sacking at Stamford Bridge in April 2023.
But in a twist, Leicester’s hierarchy decided to U-turn on the highly-rated 49-year-old despite having been impressed with his management style and tactical philosophy.
The Athletic report that there were two major stumbling blocks which caused them to switch their focus to Cooper instead, the first being that there were concerns about Potter’s enthusiasm for the job.
He has turned down several opportunities to return to the dugout over the past year, including at Ajax, and has been linked with bigger jobs like Manchester United and England which could both become available in the near-future.
The second and bigger factor was the cost it would take to hire Potter, who would have demanded more in wages in comparison to Cooper.
Moreover, Potter would have wanted to reunite with his old coaching staff who he had at Brighton and Chelsea, most of whom are still at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues would have demanded compensation for them and it would be a lengthy process to release them from their contracts, while most of Cooper’s backroom team are free agents having left Forest when he did.
It was for the same reason that Leicester didn’t go for Carlos Corberan who would have cost £4million in compensation to prize away from West Brom.
With time running out before pre-season starts, the Foxes were keen to end their managerial hunt quickly, and Cooper will now prep his side for the start of the Premier League in August, with Leicester hosting Tottenham on the opening weekend.
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