Yahoo Sport 
Why Leicester City have sacked Steve Cooper now amid hierarchy's player and performance concerns
Leicester City felt they needed to sack Steve Cooper to give themselves the best chance of Premier League survival.
City have parted ways with the Welshman after just 12 Premier League matches in charge, the club sitting two points above the drop zone. Chairman Aiyawatt ‘Top’ Srivaddhanaprabha was at the King Power Stadium on Saturday afternoon for the defeat to Chelsea, and acted on Sunday, sacking Cooper alongside right-hand men Alan Tate and Steve Rands.
The timing is a little surprising, given City have just come through an international break and that they remain outside the drop zone. However, there has been concern in the hierarchy around the level of performance and it was felt a change in manager was required to ensure the club had the best chance of avoiding an immediate return to the Championship.
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The underlying stats behind City's displays suggests they were in danger of falling down the table. And it was felt within the hierarchy that they could not see improvements on the horizon.
Cooper’s struggle to connect with the supporters and the players is also understood to be a factor in the club’s decision. Fans have not taken to Cooper, perhaps in part because of his Nottingham Forest links, with boos greeting the final whistle at many home games, and with chants of “Cooper, sort it out” and “this is embarrassing” at away fixtures.
After the success of Enzo Maresca last season, Cooper always faced a difficult task in winning the squad over. The Italian had the support of many of the player, with a few describing him as the best manager they had worked under.
Making a decision after just 12 matches gives a new appointment plenty of time to get the club heading in a direction that the hierarchy deem acceptable, and the club say they are looking for a quick appointment. First-team coach Ben Dawson, recruited by Cooper from Newcastle, has been placed in charge of training but has not been confirmed as manager for next Saturday’s trip to Brentford.
City have a long-standing interest in Graham Potter and he remains without a club. City came close to appointing the former Brighton and Chelsea manager in the summer before they turned their attention to Cooper.
Potter had been a contender for the England job at the time, with Gareth Southgate’s future in the balance. Now Thomas Tuchel has been appointed Three Lions boss, Potter may now be more available for a club job.
West Brom boss Carlos Corberan was another contender in the summer, while former West Ham manager David Moyes is at short odds with the bookmakers. Former PSV boss Ruud van Nistelrooy, who recently had an interim spell in charge of Manchester United, is also among the favourites, albeit it’s understood there was no interest in the Dutchman during the recruitment process in the summer.
