Blackburn Rovers manager's honest transfer admission amid links to Leeds United exit Liam Cooper
Liam Cooper has left Leeds United and looks set to move on amid Championship interest.
Blackburn Rovers manager John Eustace admits there has been no progress in talks with Liam Cooper, with the defender’s future still uncertain after the expiration of his Leeds United contract.
Cooper is now a free agent, having technically left Leeds when his contract expired at the end of June. The 32-year-old has been in talks over the prospect of extending his near 10-year stay at Elland Road but is widely expected to leave in search of more regular football and longer-term contract security.
Blackburn are one of several Championship teams thought to be keen on snapping Cooper up and talks have taken place, but initial progress has slowed and there is thought to be no agreement as of yet. Eustace is expecting to welcome 37-year-old defender Kyle McFadzean back to Ewood Park but has made clear his desire for more experience.
“Nothing on either of them,” Eustace told The Lancashire Telegraph when asked about Cooper and fellow free agent Danny Batth. "I want as many players as we can, you can see the squad is very thin. We had a very young squad tonight (Friday), we have 11 starters playing for tomorrow (Saturday) and the bench is very thin.
"It's very evident that the squad needs improving, the right characters, the right experience, to make us better. I think whoever we bring in, we have to make sure they're making the positions very competitive. It's vital the recruitment team are working their socks off, which they are, to bring the right characters in.”
Blackburn remain short in defensive areas and even with imminent arrivals, have plenty of work to do in the transfer window. The purse-strings are tight at Ewood Park, however, and free agents like Cooper seem to fit the bill. Rovers do look set to receive some cash through the sale of Sam Gallagher to Stoke City, while Sammie Szmodics could also move on amid interest from Ipswich Town.
Cooper’s future remains uncertain but it does look to be away from Leeds, with the centre-back not expected to sign a new deal in West Yorkshire. Minutes were already limited for the Scotland international last season and the return of Max Wober, who looks set to join Brenden Aaronson in featuring under Farke, has pushed him further down the pecking order at left-sided centre-back.
Farke could now feasibly use Wober, Pascal Struijk and Ethan Ampadu ahead of Cooper and confirmation last week that the latter would be club captain next season only made his exit more likely. Speaking after the pre-season win at Harrogate Town earlier this month, Farke all but confirmed he was planning for life without Cooper.
“No, so we have spoken about this,” Farke said when asked about Cooper’s future following the game. “It's more or less that the players who are here are the players that we work with. I have said so much about Liam and praised him so much so I think no more words needed. But right now we concentrate on the players who are around."