Liam Cooper's three-word response to Harry Gray transfer as Leeds United youngster handed early test
Leeds United favourites old and new will play together at Hillsborough in League One next season
Former Leeds United captain Liam Cooper has shared his delight at welcoming Harry Gray to Sheffield Wednesday on loan.
Gray’s season-long switch to the Owls was confirmed on Tuesday with the 17-year-old set to spend the 2026/27 campaign back in League One. Wednesday were relegated from the Championship earlier this year and are kickstarting a new era under new ownership.
A six-month move to Rotherham United produced three goals in 20 League One appearances for Gray last season amid a relegation battle. He and Leeds will hope the step-up to a promotion hopeful brings more opportunity to improve that senior tally.
Upon confirming the move for Gray, Leeds said they would be ‘monitoring his progress very closely’ and the teenager will have plenty of experience to lean on in South Yorkshire. The most notable will be Cooper, who signed a fresh one-year deal with the Owls in June.
The 34-year-old initially joined Wednesday on a short-term deal in November last year and has stayed on board to provide experience amid a squad overhaul. And he welcomed Gray, who is half his age, to Hillsborough by sharing an Instagram post on his story alongside that caption ‘Here he is’.
Gray has already joined up with Wednesday for pre-season, their 2026/27 campaign kicking off a week-and-a-half before Leeds in the Premier League. The Owls actually start with a Carabao Cup game against Bolton Wanderers, who replaced them in the Championship, on August 8.
Wednesday’s social media channels have documented the first few days of pre-season in which the fitness of Gray and his new teammates has been tested early. The squad were filmed completing what looked to be the dreaded bleep test, after which the tired Leeds loanee can be seen dropping to the floor and taking a well-earned rest.