Jamie Shackelton has departed for Sheffield United but Liam Cooper is still at the crossroads at Elland Road. The 32-year-old defender is very keen on first-team football following fringe roles in previous seasons at Leeds.
The former captain had bigger roles to play when he was leading The Whites to promotion when they finally succeeded in 2020. The 2020/21 season saw The West Yorkshire outfit back into the top flight.
Although as Leeds were looking at a downfall, Liam Cooper was with them. The 2022/23 season saw the Scotsman’s fitness take a turn for the worse.
His fitness was in question throughout the season and new signing Max Wöber took his place in 2023. Things have been gloomy for the Scottish defender as he’s made only 39 appearances for the club across the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons.
Cooper has taken a back seat at Elland Road. Amidst the chaos, his contract expired this season and there have been no table offers. Leeds United have made a verbal offer but no follow-up meant Jamie Shackelton saw his future away from the club.
There have been rumours of Leeds’ defenders being linked to other clubs. Now, Liam Cooper is also being mentioned in the mix with Championship rivals Portsmouth interested in the defender.
Portsmouth show interest in Liam Cooper
Credits: Imago Images
According to TEAMTalk, newly promoted side Portsmouth are keen on gaining Liam Cooper’s services on a free transfer. United had made a one-year verbal offer to the defender but he was hoping to stay for long.
An official offer never came following Cooper’s disinterest in a one-year deal. Jamie Shackelton has left but now Liam needs to decide his future if he’d like to continue in the beautiful game.
Blackburn Rovers have also shown interest but there have been no further updates from The Riversiders. The season is already underway but the Scotsman remains clubless.
Reports suggest that Pompey boss John Mousinho would use the player’s seniority and leadership at the back. The average age of Pompey’s backline is 25 years hence a leader-like personality is required to guide them through a newly promoted season.
At 32, Liam hasn’t been getting first-team football for two years now. This can be a great opportunity for Cooper to extend his stay in the game while playing for a first team.
He isn’t young but the defender isn’t finished too. The Scotsman was also capped two times by Scotland at the start of this year.
