Steve Cooper’s Scandinavian Adventure: Why the Brøndby Move Makes Sense

Steve Cooper’s Scandinavian Adventure: Why the Brøndby Move Makes Sense

Steve Cooper has joined an exclusive club alongside Michael Laudrup. Becoming one of two men who have now coached both Swansea City and Brøndby IF. Creating a useful second option for what appears to be an extremely niche pub quiz question.

The last decade of Danish football has seen København (6) and Midtjylland (4) share 10 of the last 11 Superliga titles. Who snuck in amongst the modern era big boys? Brøndby IF, a historically monumental Danish side that bounced back from the brink of bankruptcy in 2013 to paint the capital city blue and yellow once again.

💛💙🏆 pic.twitter.com/FcTSWSCHwH

— Brøndby IF (@BrondbyIF) May 24, 2021

The club that handed Thomas Frank his first senior position in football have broken headlines by recruiting Steve Cooper as head coach. The ex-Nottingham Forest manager’s first role outside of the United Kingdom has come as a shock to the majority, yet it’s a move with a lot more thought behind it than meets the eye.

Extensive English Experience

From Roy Hodgson to Graham Potter, British managers have a tendency to find themselves abruptly coaching in Scandinavia all of a sudden, as if they missed a turning on a summer cruise.

Cooper’s journey so far in the management game has seen him coach through the ranks of Wrexham’s academy, becoming one of the youngest coaches at the time to receive his UEFA Pro licence at 27, before crossing the border to oversee Liverpool’s youth set-up. Playing a part in the development of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Raheem Sterling.

He then spent five years with England’s U16 and U17 squads, working with the likes of Jadon Sancho and Phil Foden in their early years. At the age of 40, Swansea City would come calling, granting Cooper his first head coach role at a senior level.

🎙️| Steve Cooper on Phil Foden when he won the U17 World Cup:

“The most Brazilian player on the pitch, he took the game by the scruff of the neck…”

“He was just amazing.” 🗣️💫

🗞️ via @ManCity pic.twitter.com/6eRytJDW81

— City HQ (@City_HQs) October 14, 2024

At the Swans, Cooper would recruit Marc Guehi and Conor Gallagher on loan from Chelsea, building a reputation as one of the best managers to blend youth and senior football. He would lead Swansea to the Championship playoffs in both of his seasons in charge, getting knocked out by Thomas Frank’s Brentford in both the 2019/20 playoff semi-finals and 2020/21 final.

Swansea have extended the loan deals of Chelsea pair Marc Guehi and Conor Gallagher until the end of the season
⚽ https://t.co/sBBg6i5agl pic.twitter.com/u2MCg6zCM2

— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) July 4, 2020

Despite failing to reach the Premier League upon his first two attempts, Cooper would take his work a step further in 2021/22, when he revolutionised Nottingham Forest’s poor start to the season under Chris Hughton. Pulling off the spectacular by sending Forest to the Premier League via the playoffs, kickstarting the club’s rival at the heights of the English game.

Cooper’s time at Leicester City was more forgettable than his other stints, but by then, he had already proven that he was capable of coaching at the highest of levels. Since December of last year, the Welshman has been approached by Championship clubs like Middlesbrough, with his track record of taking Forest back to the Premier League (or, in Swansea’s case, almost) an enticing selling point. But those opportunities were rejected, making it clear that Cooper was not prepared to drop back down to the second tier.

A Stylish Side with Youthful Ambition

UEFA competitions have eluded Cooper thus far in his career, a test that the coach desires as he continues to accumulate experience. Whilst a ‘top five league’ managerial role has not landed on his plate, an opportunity to grow, trial, and experiment has surfaced in one of Europe’s most stylish and innovative capitals.

Brøndby appointed 40-year-old Benjamin Schmedes as their shiny new Director of Football after four seasons of failing to return the promise that their title triumph in 2020/21 delivered. Schmedes is a young professional full of ideas and a clear plan to modernise the historic club. His main goal? To strengthen the link between its academy and the first team. Making Cooper’s hiring look like an absolute coup.

‘Drengene Fra Vestegnen’ (or the boys from Vestegnen, for those unequipped to translate Danish) are no strangers to youth development. The Brøndby academy has seen names like Jesper Lindstrøm and Mads Hermansen graduate in the last few years. As well as Anis Ben Slimane and Mathias Kvistgaarden, names that will be familiar to Championship fans.

🇩🇰 The Brøndby boys reunite in Norfolk. 🔰#NCFC | #Brondby pic.twitter.com/wpHj8yCCzm

— Talk Norwich City (@TalkNorwichCity) July 8, 2025

With Cooper at the helm, Brøndby might finally challenge the two present day forces in Danish domestic football, overhauling what has been a dominant decade with some fresh faces. The club currently have the second-highest average squad age in the league (26), something that Cooper will look to change, but within their ranks boast a plethora of young talent, including Filip Bundgaard, Noah Nartey, Jacob Ambæk, and Mathias Jensen (yes, there’s another one!)

After missing out on European football in heartbreaking fashion, losing to Strasbourg in the final round of Conference League qualifiers, Frederik Birk was dismissed from his position as Brøndby's manager. An underwhelming start to the season had seen them lose three of their opening seven games, including a 3-1 home defeat to Midtjylland in Birk’s final game.

Derby Day Debut

The phrase ‘baptism of fire’ tends to be thrown around in football, but Cooper’s first fixture in charge couldn’t be described any other way. Supporters from Copenhagen’s two greatest outfits flocked to the Brøndby Stadium to watch the first New Firm Derby of the year, the fiercest game in Danish football. Played in front of a 25,000+ crowd, in a league which has an average attendance of 10,000.

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞, 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐁𝐘 𝐰𝐢𝐧 🟡🔵 pic.twitter.com/4g0zes8w5r

— Brøndby IF (@BrondbyIF) September 13, 2025

A 2-1 victory over København instantly proved to the Brøndby faithful that their beloved club does not have to live in the shadows of those deemed greater in this current climate. The competitive nature of this year's Superliga means that the battle for national glory and continental qualification is still extremely open. In fact, after eight matches played, Brøndby are two points from the top, making the timing of Cooper’s integral appointment look even more impressive.

Brøndby's Vision

Brøndby are a football team with a European pedigree. The former European Cup Quarter Finalists, and UEFA Cup Semi Finalists, are backed by US billionaire David Blitzer. As the biggest spenders outside of the league’s duopoly, Brøndby are willing to invest and drive the club to achieve. Schmedes himself described Cooper as a man with a “rare combination of youth and experience, vision and personality”, with the manager returning the compliment by announcing he wanted to take Brøndby “back to the top of Danish football”.

This is not just a rushed big name appointment by a continental small fry, this is a long term project, and planned investment with Cooper a faultless candidate. A successful campaign could see the Welshman subsequently coach Champions League football for the first time, and whilst it won’t be in front of a British crowd, I’ve heard the Danes are quite pleasant.