Leeds United: Liam Cooper expects to leave Elland Road amid contract situation – Phil Hay

Liam Cooper has no expectations of getting an extension to his Leeds United contract at the end of the season, says Phil Hay.

The Athletic’s Whites reporter said on The Square Ball on 5 April that the Elland Road captain is “coming to the end” after his difficult appearance in the 2-2 draw with Watford after the international break (29 March), with the 32-year-old apparently under no illusions that he will be staying.

The Scotland international’s start at Vicarage Road was his first time in the Championship XI at kick-off since New Year’s Day, and demonstrated the issue with breaking up the partnership of Ethan Ampadu and Joe Rodon at centre-back, as Leeds failed to win a league game for only the second time in 2024.

Hay said (4m 45s): “I didn’t feel it was Cooper’s fault entirely for the two goals but clearly Watford’s second in particular was a real mess, and he is coming to the end now.

“I don’t think there is any expectation on his part at all that there’s going to be a new contract at the end of this, and there just is no justification from shifting away from Ampadu and Rodon at the back.

“Even if [Pascal] Struijk hadn’t gone for surgery and wasn’t out for the season he’d be doing very well to shift Ampadu out of that left-sided slot.”

Leeds United captain’s set to end under Daniel Farke?

It perhaps isn’t a huge surprise that Cooper is in line to leave the club, especially since Farke has already moved on Luke Ayling.

The centre-back is one of three 32-year-old’s who had been stalwarts in the Elland Road side for years but all have deals running out, with Ayling gone, Cooper seemingly going, and Stuart Dallas straining to return from two years out with injury before the decision has to be made.

Under Farke there is a new generation thriving, with few of the pieces that were so successful under Marcelo Bielsa still remaining.

Cooper has given plenty to Leeds United but his influence on the pitch has wained over the past couple of seasons, with injury issues keeping him from featuring regularly in a brittle Premier League back-line, and in an increasingly impressive Championship one this season he has dropped to probably fourth choice if everyone is fit.

Even then Charlie Cresswell would probably benefit more from the minutes that he has been getting, so logically the time has come for the skipper to depart, not least if the club is back in the top flight next term.

In other Leeds United news, a big-money Elland Road signing was left “fuming” by what his teammate told him.