Leeds United stalwart set to depart after contract talks stall

After years of service to the club, Liam Cooper looks set to finally end his association with Leeds United.

That’s according to an exclusive report from TEAMtalk, with the publication stating that the experienced Scotland international has failed to reach an agreement with the Elland Road hierarchy over a possible new deal.

Leeds have offered new deals to the likes of Cooper, Jamie Shackleton and Cody Drameh ahead of the upcoming 2024/25 Championship season, but it looks increasingly likely that the defensive duo, along with the versatile midfielder in Shackleton, will be looking for a fresh challenge over the course of the transfer window.

United are facing a major rebuilding job under Daniel Farke after missing out on an instant return to the Premier League, and the departure of the club captain would no doubt signify the end of an era, at a time when many other fans’ favourites from recent seasons have moved on.

Liam Cooper set to snub fresh Leeds United agreement

As referenced above, it was the publication TEAMtalk who exclusively broke the story regarding the 32-year-old club captain.

It was revealed by Leeds Live at the end of May that a decision was yet to be made regarding Cooper’s future in West Yorkshire, but claimed that there was a greater likelihood of him moving on, as his previous contract expired on June 30th.

This latest report describes Cooper’s situation as reaching a “crossroads”, and that whilst the majority of the first-team squad have reported back for pre-season training just five weeks after losing the play-off final to Southampton, they await responses from the aforementioned captain, Drameh and Shackleton respectively.

The details of why Cooper and the club have failed to reach an agreement remains unknown, with Capology estimating that the Hull-born centre-back was earning £25,000 on his last deal, which was signed in 2019, prior to Leeds’ recent stint in the top-flight.

Liam Cooper will depart Leeds United as a modern day cult hero

If this does spell the end for Cooper’s affiliation with the Whites, then not many could have foreseen the impact the defender would have after making a reported £600,000 switch from Chesterfield back in 2014.

The defender was first given the honour of the United armband in January 2015 against Sunderland, and has since become a mainstay and dependable figure with exceptional leadership under what has been a rollercoaster ride throughout his time in LS11.

This includes working with 14 different managers, but it was under the iconic Marcelo Bielsa, where Cooper and many other names, such as Luke Ayling and Stuart Dallas, who have also recently departed, became cult heroes in this part of the world, with the Scottish international captaining the side to the Championship title in 2020, before making 64 top flight appearances.

However, Farke only called upon Cooper’s services 15 times last season – eight of which were starts, often featuring behind Joe Rodon, Pascal Struijk and even the versatile Ethan Ampadu in the defensive pecking order.

This led to rumours that Cooper could’ve left for Blackburn Rovers in the January window, but a deal never materialised.

Now is the right time for Leeds United and Liam Cooper to part ways

In the defender’s ideal world, whilst game time might’ve become even more sparse last season, he would’ve no doubt wanted to have played a part in the leadership of the dressing room as Leeds prepare for a second successive year of second tier football.

However, the logistics of such a deal with the aforementioned wages make it seem extremely unfeasible, as United could do with spending such cash on players who can make an immediate impact on their promotion quest.

The permanent signing of Rodon and links to Gent defender Jordan Torunarigha highlight that the German boss is looking to create a new culture at Elland Road, which ultimately ends in this situation where a stalwart is edged out of the club.

However, many would argue that Cooper could still offer plenty to other Championship clubs, so if an exit is confirmed imminently, the 19-cap international defender won’t be short of offers.