Leeds captain not expecting to be offered new contract

Leeds United captain Liam Cooper has no expectations of getting a contract extension when his current deal expires at the end of the season.

The 32 year old joined Leeds from Chesterfield in 2014 and has made 223 appearances for the Elland Road outfit.

The Scotland international has made 18 appearances in all competitions this season with Leeds involved a nail biting promotion race with Leicester and Ipswich as they bid to return to the Premier League.

Liam Cooper to leave Leeds this summer?

Cooper has found it difficult to break into the team and his start in the 2-2 draw against Watford at Vicarage Road was his first in the Championship since New Years Day.

Breaking up the first choice pairing of Ethan Ampadu and Joe Rodon saw the Whites fail to win a game for just the second time in 2024.

Cooper endured a difficult day at Vicarage road and The Athletic’s Leeds reporter Phil Hay believes the former Chesterfield man is coming to the end of his time at Elland Road.

Speaking on The Square Ball Podcast Hay said:

“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.”

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Cooper is set to leave given that manager Daniel Farke has already moved on Luke Ayling and under Farke there is a new generation thriving.

Leeds currently sit second in the Championship with just six games remaining and face a trip to Coventry this weekend with any slip ups potentially having huge consequences at this stage of the season.