Ex-Leeds United veteran Liam Cooper joined CSKA Sofia last month and is playing for a different club for the first time since 2014 when he played for Chesterfield during the 2013-14 season. However, this tenure isn’t off to a good start.
The 33-year-old’s departure signifies the end of an era at Elland Road, having spent a decade with the Whites. Cooper joined Leeds in 2014, making 284 appearances and contributing 11 goals and six assists in all competitions.
His new contract will make 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. 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.”
Liam Cooper returning to England after injury
Cooper made his second consecutive start on Saturday but was substituted after just 24 minutes with the score still 0-0 against Septemvri. Unfortunately, CSKA Sofia’s struggles this season continued, as they lost 1-0 at home without him.
After the match, CSKA’s website updated fans on Cooper’s situation, revealing that he sustained a back injury during his early exit. They announced that the former Leeds player would return to England on Monday for tests and then return to Bulgaria on Wednesday to resume training.
