Yahoo Sport 
Uninspiring candidates list should force Leicester City to change their new manager approach
For a club whose priority is Premier League survival, experience of the division will always be a big factor in the recruitment of a new manager, especially mid-season, when there is a greater need for them to hit the ground running.
If a manager has already led a side through a Premier League campaign and avoided the drop, there will be fewer surprises for them if tasked with guiding a new club to the same point. Right now, with Leicester City one point above the relegation zone, a manager with Premier League experience would come in handy.
But take a look at the last 20 Premier League managers who are not currently in charge of a club, and there are not many names that jump out as potential candidates. The list reads Erik ten Hag, David Moyes, Jurgen Klopp, Roy Hodgson, Frank Lampard, Sam Allardyce, Javi Gracia, Graham Potter, Rafa Benitez, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Slaven Bilic, Nigel Pearson, Quique Sanchez Flores, Mauricio Sarri, Chris Hughton, Claude Puel, David Wagner, Mark Hughes, Slavisa Jokanovic, and Paul Lambert.
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When removing those who won’t be taking over (Moyes, Potter), those who are unrealistic appointments (Klopp, Ten Hag), and those who have managed City previously (Pearson, Puel), you might struggle to pick out a name there that would be considered a better bet than Cooper. It puts City in an intriguing position.
Because under the current ownership, City don’t often look too far afield. They have never recruited a manager who doesn’t have at least some experience of coaching in England. Enzo Maresca was their most outside-the-box appointment, given his very limited experience as a senior manager, but he had spent a couple of years with Manchester City’s Under-21s and as Pep Guardiola’s right-hand man.
The furthest afield club they have recruited a manager from are Celtic, when they signed Brendan Rodgers. But it cost £8.8m to get the Northern Irishman and his staff to the King Power Stadium and spending a similar fee now, amid Profit and Sustainability Rules concerns, is not ideal.
It means that some of the talented coaches in the Championship who look ready to do a job in the Premier League, like Carlos Corberan and Michael Carrick, may be overlooked too. Compensation fees would also be required for their services.
So if there are no former Premier League bosses who take City’s fancy, and if spending on a manager is not preferred, then maybe it’s time the club recruited an out-of-work foreign coach for the first time. There would be risks of course, but plenty of overseas managers have been instant hits in the Premier League, even if they have no experience of the division. Arne Slot and Fabian Hurzeler have made fine starts this season.
Because football is a global game and the stylistic differences between countries’ domestic leagues are now not so pronounced. A manager who has worked in Europe’s top leagues over a number of years should be able to do as good a job as someone who has worked in England but has limited experience as being the main man.
There are plenty of overseas managers that fit the bill, people like Niko Kovac, Lucien Favre, and Roger Schmidt. They have all worked in multiple countries and been reasonably successful wherever they have been, and very successful at some of their clubs.
Schmidt in particular feels like he would be a good candidate. Having worked in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Portugal, he’s not afraid to travel, and his skills have proven to be transferable, the 57-year-old enjoying success in each of his roles.
He won the Portuguese title with Benfica in his first season there and took them to the Champions League quarter-finals. There was a slight downturn in his second season, and a slow start to his third season saw him sacked in August.
But having had a few months out of work, he may now be ready to return. His success and list of clubs should demand respect from the squad and he’s tasted the King Power Stadium before, managing PSV there in the Europa Conference League.
If no managers with Premier League experience are catching City’s eye, then maybe it’s time for them to change their approach. It may be a gamble that pays off handsomely.
