Leeds United mystery amid Liam Cooper situation as Elland Road captain hasn’t officially left
Leeds United had to sign Joe Rodon this summer but it is still not officially clear that Liam Cooper has actually left, according to Jonny Buchan.
The BBC journalist said on Don’t Go To Bed Just Yet late on Deadline Day (30 August) that the Tottenham defender’s arrival was made all the more necessary by the apparent departure of the Whites’ captain.
But aside from a mention of Cooper’s birthday there has still been no official word from the club to announce the Scotland international’s exit.
Buchan said (4m 50s): “They had to bring Rodon because also, let’s not forget, Liam Cooper has gone, as far as we’re aware.
“They wished him Happy Birthday on Twitter the other day but we haven’t heard anything else about his situation.”
Leeds United signed Joe Rodon permanently from Tottenham
Cooper, 33, has made 284 appearances for the club and led them back to the Premier League as captain under Marcelo Bielsa so it is odd that there has been no announcement of his departure.
He was reportedly hoping to return to Daniel Farke’s squad this summer but the “hugely-respected” defender and the club couldn’t agree terms on the length of a new deal [TEAMtalk, 3 July].
The centre-back then looked set to sign for Blackburn Rovers, where he was said to be willing to take a pay cut from his Whites salary to join [Lancashire Telegraph, 12 July] before that deal failed to come through.
And a move to Hull City was in the offing late before the deadline which would have brought him back to Elland Road immediately as a member of the opposition [Yorkshire Evening Post, 26 August] but there has been no indication of success there either.
It may be that the Whites are waiting for his next move before making an announcement, but with his contract up already it is strange the situation has been publicly ignored.
Cooper had no expectation of a return to Leeds late last season when promotion very much looked on [Phil Hay, 5 April], but a second season in the Championship put the possibility back on the table.
If he is still without a club in the coming weeks it is feasible he does still return, but as a free agent he is available to anyone outside of the transfer window.
In other Leeds United news, a club have been left furious at the Whites because of “what they did” before the deadline.
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