Liam Cooper exit on the cards at Leeds United as replacement news emerges
Liam Cooper has been a mainstay of the Leeds United starting line-up for the last nine seasons.
The 31-year-old joined Leeds from Chesterfield in 2014 and has since made 265 appearances in all competitions for the West Yorkshire club.
Cooper will always be remembered as the captain who led the Whites back to the Premier League as Championship title winners in 2019/20 but his stay at Elland Road could be soon coming to an end.
It’s no secret that Cooper is a player who divides opinion at Leeds.
He’s a great leader and there’s absolutely no doubt that he has a brilliant influence behind the scenes at Thorp Arch and in the dressing room.
However, you usually hear Cooper being referred to as ‘League One Liam’ in the stands at Elland Road due to his regular poor performances on the pitch.
Let’s be honest – the Premier League was a step too far for Cooper.
He was hardly an amazing centre-back in the Championship with the likes of Kyle Bartley, Pontus Jansson and Ben White outshining him in the heart of the defence when they played alongside the Hull-born Scotland international.
And it seems that new manager Daniel Farke could have plans in place to now replace Cooper.
TeamTalk reported on Thursday (13 July) that Leeds are monitoring Middlesbrough centre-back Paddy McNair with the Northern Ireland international’s contract expiring next year.
McNair, 28, played a key role in Middlesbrough’s impressive Championship campaign last season, has 191 appearances to his name in the second tier and has even played in the Premier League and in Europe when he was at Manchester United earlier in his career.
The centre-back, who can also double as a defensive midfielder, has also played at the European Championships for Northern Ireland, earning 60 caps with the Green and White Army.
It is understood that Boro are opening to sell McNair and with Leeds facing a season back in the Championship with a new manager at the helm, a defensive refresh is certainly needed.
Diego Llorente and Robin Koch have already gone out on loan but Cooper, the one constant of almost a decade at Elland Road, remains.
McNair could easily be seen as a successor to Cooper in that centre-back role. He’s captained Northern Ireland in the past and was also touted for the captain’s role back in his time at Sunderland [Sunderland Echo].
There’ll no doubt be plenty of supporters for a move for Cooper this summer after years of average or underwhelming performances in the side.
In other Leeds United news, an approach has been made to an elite club for one of their players.