Phil Hay has provided an update on what he has heard concerning the possibility of Liam Cooper signing a new contract with Leeds United.
Leeds announced their retained list on Friday afternoon, confirming Cooper is in talks to extend his 10-year stay at Elland Road.
Cooper was expected to leave the club this summer, as he had all but announced in his pre-match programme remarks ahead of the play-off semi-final against Norwich City.
Cooper was even brought in for the final 10 minutes of the game, his first since the end of March, and it had all the makings of a farewell.
Cooper was greeted warmly by Leeds fans, and it appeared that Daniel Farke had given him one more chance to say goodbye at Elland Road.
Hay explains what he has heard about Cooper at Leeds.
One of the more intriguing aspects of Leeds’ retained list was Sam Byram’s one-year contract extension, which elicited reactions from Ethan Ampadu and Connor Roberts.
Cody Drameh was also offered a new contract, albeit this was done to guarantee Leeds receive compensation if he leaves owing to his age. He’s still slated to go.
Perhaps surprisingly, Jamie Shackleton is also in negotiations, despite the fact that he only played a few league minutes after the 4-1 win over Huddersfield Town in October.
However, Cooper is undoubtedly the list’s headline news, and in the most recent episode of the Square Ball Podcast, Hay revealed what he was told concerning Cooper’s future earlier this week.
He stated: “The interesting one is Liam Cooper. I spoke with a couple of folks this morning, and they stated it still appeared to be in the air. The anticipation was that he would go, and I believe that from his perspective, he simply hasn’t played enough at his age and in his career.
“There is clearly other interest in him, and if they had gone up, I would have had a difficult time figuring out where he would fit. Being in the Championship and with the squad being somewhat young, Farke has spoken a lot about the lack of experience; I think this enhances the likelihood that Leeds want him to stay.
What has Cooper said about his future with Leeds?
Cooper will undoubtedly face a difficult decision as to whether to stay or leave. On one side, Leeds is a boyhood club, yet game time has been limited.
However, speaking at Leeds’ annual awards event in April, he seemed to imply that he would be pleased to stay if given the opportunity.
He stated, “I’ve tried every day to lead by example, be a good example around the place, and give everything I can to make this club great. It’s something I’ve done with great honor, and I’ve cherished every minute of it. Hopefully, that will continue for a few more years, but we’ll see.
