Forget John Terry: Derby could find their perfect manager in Swansea's Steve Cooper

Football FanCast

Derby County should forget about hiring John Terry and instead try and appoint Swansea City manager Steve Cooper as their new boss.

After parting ways with Phillip Cocu back in November after a run of just one win from their opening 11 Championship games, Derby County are on the hunt for a new long-term manager.

Wayne Rooney has currently stepped into the hot-seat for the time being, and whilst reports have suggested that he is keen on taking the job full-time, that may not be the smartest play in the book right now.

The other big name of course that is being linked with taking the vacant Derby job, is John Terry. The former England international is currently working alongside Dean Smith at Premier League level with Aston Villa, and would once again be another unproven option for the Rams.

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The man they should surely be trying to get though, is someone who's performing fantastic work at another Championship club, Swansea. Steve Cooper hasn't been in the managerial game long himself, but the job he has done in Wales has been nothing short of fantastic.

The Swans currently find themselves fourth in the table and well in the mix for a play-off spot at the end of the season, and boast the division's best defensive record with just ten goals conceded in their first 17 games.

It has led to Tony Pulis to heap praise on the 40-year-old, saying: "I think the manager has done an absolutely fantastic job there… If you look at the recruitment - and lets not forget the players he’s sold - it’s been very, very good. It suits what Swansea want to do, and I think an identity for a football club is very important.

"You look at Swansea, and the manager, and they’ve put an identity together. I think he’s done an exceptional job." With a potential takeover on the horizon, Derby desperately need someone at the helm who can establish an identity from top to bottom, and Cooper's rapid work at doing just that at Swansea should be hugely appealing. His previous experience with working with the England youth set-up bodes well for nurturing some of the Rams' younger talent, and it can allow the club to properly plan for an exciting future.