Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper has signed a new three-year contract at the club.

Friday’s unexpected announcement means the head coach has extended his stay until 2025, despite speculation over his potential dismissal after a poor start to the Premier League season.

Cooper guided Forest to promotion from the Championship last season and has clearly been rewarded with some loyalty from the club’s owners.

Join the home of live football today

BT Sport is the only place to watch live Premier League, Champions League, Europa League and much more.

Get BT Sport What's On

His side currently sit bottom of the top flight, with just four points from their opening eight matches following Monday night's 4-0 loss to Leicester.

Five successive defeats appeared to have put pressure on Cooper, but the contract extension is a clear statement of trust from the hierarchy at Forest.

Expectation is higher than it might have been after a spending spree in the summer, with 22 players signed and an expenditure of over £150m.

As yet, Forest have failed to create a cohesive starting XI from their sizeable squad, but Cooper now has some breathing space to find a winning formula.

“It is now important that our focus is solely on football,” Forest wrote in a statement on their website. 

“As a group we are all concentrated and will do everything we can to help the team move up the league table and once again demonstrate our qualities that led us to the Premier League.”

“It puts clarity on speculation. No one had ever questioned how much I love it here and want to be here," Cooper said.

“If there is talk about that it can stop. It doesn't mean we are going to win the next match and everything is going to be okay.

“It has put an end to the questioning and that is great.”