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Luke Ayling and Liam Cooper commitment 'fantastic' for Leeds United ahead of Championship - Carlton Palmer
Carlton Palmer believes that experienced duo Luke Ayling and Liam Cooper staying at Leeds United beyond this summer is “fantastic” news for the club.
Ayling, 31, recently took to Instagram to apologize to fans about the club’s relegation but that their attention was now turning to promotion straight back up to the top flight.
The right-back saw his deal at Elland Road extended by another 12 months earlier this year, while defensive counterpart Cooper is contracted until June 2024.
Speaking to Football League World, BBC pundit Palmer was thrilled about the commitment of the Leeds duo.
He said: “It is fantastic news for Leeds United and their supporters that two players – experienced players like Luke Ayling and the skipper Liam Cooper – have pledged their commitment and future to club even though in the face of them getting relegated to the Championship.
“They have both said they want to stay and help steer the club straight back to the Premier League.
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“These are two committed players and exactly the type of players that you need in the Championship to win football matches.”
Championship Experience
Although both Ayling and Cooper were part of a defence that shipped a staggering 78 goals in just 38 Premier League games, both have prior experience of what it takes to gain promotion from the Championship, a factor which could prove vital.
The likes of Willy Gnonto, Tyler Adams and Rodrigo are all expected to find another club this summer and are all likely to have plenty of suitors, but the aforementioned stalwarts are unlikely to gather much of a transfer fee at all.
Whoever comes in as manager for next season will want to rely on a spine to help get off to a solid start in the Championship and ensure that bouncing straight back to the Premier League is on the cards come Christmas time.
The likes of Steven Gerrard and Carlos Corberan have been heavily tipped to take the reins at Elland Road this summer after the club confirmed that Sam Allardyce’s time at the club was coming to a close.
In other Leeds United news, a Fabrizio Romano transfer update has a queue of teams ready to sign one unlikely Whites player.