Liam Cooper set for Leeds United exit after what club did this week
Liam Cooper looks set to leave Leeds United at the end of his contract this summer after the club hinted at an Elland Road exit.
The skipper has spent ten years at the club and was a regular for much of his time there, but recently has found himself as the fourth-choice central defender behind loanee Joe Rodon, midfielder Ethan Ampadu and Pascal Struijk.
With his current contract due to expire once the season comes to an end, speculation has been rife about whether he will stick around after turning down interest from Saudi Arabia for a lucrative move last year.
But the club may have dropped their biggest hint yet that they have no intentions on keeping him heading into the 2024/25 season, after what happened at the club’s season awards this week.
Cooper was handed a “Special Achievement” award alongside recently retired Stuart Dallas and recently departed Luke Ayling on the night, honouring their service to the club over the years.
But it was impossible to ignore that both Dallas and Ayling are no longer part of the permanent playing staff, and it was almost a signalling of a change of the guard at the club going forward.
Should Leeds United let Liam Cooper leave?
Ultimately it would be the right decision not to keep him around if you look beyond all the romanticism of keeping him at the club.
Cooper has struggled at times in the Championship this season and with the way Daniel Farke likes to play with a high-line and aggressive pressing, it just doesn’t suit an ageing central defender whose game is built around defending his box and winning aerial duels.
If the club make it to the Premier League then it’s clear he isn’t good enough to help out at that level, while things must be seriously looked at if the team is still in the Championship next year.
Cooper will go down as a club hero and a fan favourite for everything he did at the club, but the time is right for him to move on now.
In other Leeds news, another defender is “definitely” ruled out of the clash vs Middlesbrough
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