Former Leeds veteran Liam Cooper joined CSKA Sofia last month, marking his first move to a new club since playing for Chesterfield in the 2013-14 season. However, club news last week revealed that his time at the Bulgarian side hasn’t started smoothly.
Just before the FIFA international break, Cooper was subbed off after only 24 minutes with the score still tied at 0-0 against Septemvri. Unfortunately, CSKA Sofia’s tough season continued, and they ended up losing 1-0 at home without him.
Following the match, CSKA’s website updated fans on Cooper’s condition, sharing that he suffered a back injury during the game. They confirmed that the former Leeds player would head back to England for testing before returning to training.
Moreover, Fakti reported that the former Leeds standout picked up a suspected cracked rib before the current international break, and flew back to England so Leeds could help out and examine it.
What’s the latest on Liam Cooper?
According to DSport (h/t Sports Witness), Cooper is believed to have torn a muscle in his abdomen, but he’s reportedly determined to play in the derby against Levski on Saturday.
There’s even been speculation that he might take a painkilling injection to make it happen. However, he’s still not fully training, and without that, his chances of playing against Levski are fading.
Cooper’s signing with CSKA Sofia made him the highest earner at the club, with an annual salary of around €750,000, or €62,500 per month. Interestingly, he even turned down offers from Blackburn and Hull City to take this deal.
Furthermore, Cooper recently told the club’s official website that his former teammate Ilia Gruev convinced him to head to Bulgaria to continue his football career.
“Ilia is a great person,” Cooper told the website. “I liked him from the minute he came to Leeds. He has a great family and is very down to earth, easy to communicate with. I helped him a lot to settle in Leeds because for him it was a different experience from Bulgaria and Germany.
“We got on very well and he was one of the first people I spoke to when I heard about CSKA’s interest. He spoke highly of the club, the city, the fans and made my decision much easier. I’m sure it will help me settle here now too. I don’t know if it will be with where to live, maybe with a suggestion for a nice restaurant — things like that. I’ll be relying on him for the next few months.”
