Steve Cook has shared what Steve Cooper told him the day before he signed for Nottingham Forest during the 2021/22 campaign.
The central defender was something of a surprise signing during the January transfer window under Cooper.
Cook was instrumental in the Forest team as they ended a 23-year exile from the Premier League by winning the Championship play-offs.
The experienced player arrived at Forest with Premier League experience under his belt and that proved vital during the second half of the season.
It was Cooper who was the protagonist behind Cook signing for Forest and he’s explained what he said prior to him arriving at the City Ground.
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Steve Cook shares what Steve Cooper told him before Forest transfer
This was a signing that made a great deal of sense from a Forest perspective – even if it was a little surprising when it was first announced.
Cook was in his thirties and many felt that the short-termism wasn’t ideal for Forest.
However, it proved a shrewd piece of business and now Cook has lifted the lid on what Cooper told him when he came to the club.
He told The Second Tier Podcast: “Coops is a great guy first and foremost, to be honest with you.
“He was totally different from what I was used to, he was so laid back and he wanted the players to kind of take control, which suited me as that’s the type of character I am in the dressing room.
“When he rang me the day before I signed he kind of told me not to take my time in the dressing room and he asked me to come in and take control straight away and get involved.
“He’s a great coach, he came through the FA and we got on extremely well. I got on really well with the boys from day one too, obviously, that was helped in my first game when we beat Arsenal 1-0 and it always helps when you come in, win and contribute.”
Cook was vastly underrated during promotion-winning season
It was quite remarkable how good Cook was for Forest when he came into the club and he immediately hit the ground running.
The experienced player signed from Bournemouth on a free transfer and proved a very astute addition to the ranks.
Cook slotted into a back three with Joe Worrall and Scott McKenna both improving amid his presence.
Following promotion Cook played 14 times for Forest in the Premier League and in fairness, he didn’t really look out of place.
Landing Felipe shunted Cook down the pecking order a little bit and he wasn’t registered in the 25-man squad for the second half of 2022/23.
Forest do now have better options than Cook and it was nice to see him get hooked up at QPR at the start of last season.
The centre-back might not have been the most glamorous of additions to the Forest squad during 2021/22 but he was arguably the most important.
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