Leeds United supporters will have been sad waving goodbye to Liam Cooper recently, as the long-standing Whites servant’s departure from Elland Road was finally announced.
It had been a long time coming, with the Scotsman finding his minutes had dried up under Daniel Farke in the Championship last season, but it would have been a farewell that was bittersweet all the same when it was officially confirmed he was leaving for pastures new abroad.
The 33-year-old centre-back – who has signed for Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia – had been an important colossus at the back for Leeds in the past, playing a key role in many dramatic wins under Marcelo Bielsa, as a rock solid figure in the heart of defence.
Cooper’s career at Leeds
Cooper would go on to amass 284 appearances for the Whites across ten years at the club, joining the the West Yorkshire outfit in 2014 as a gem for the future from Chesterfield Town under the basket case ownership of Massimo Cellino.
He would slowly rise up the ranks to become an important first-team figure, making 39 second tier appearances during his second season at Elland Road, before becoming even more of a reliable presence under Bielsa’s golden time in charge.
The now former Leeds captain would help himself to five goals under the eccentric Argentinian’s regime in the Championship when coming up from the back, as he tasted automatic promotion success with his long-standing side in 2020 alongside other Leeds icons such as Kalvin Phillips.
His importance to the cause had started to notably wane, as the likes of Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk took over the senior reins in his place, but Farke did still gift the ageing centre-back 16 chances in his XI last season in the league, including starting him in a one-off play-off game even with the pressure being ramped up.
Farke will now be searching for his next Cooper, knowing that dedicated players such as the now-departed Scotsman are hard to come by.
He could well stumble across his next dependable titan for the future when scouring through the up and coming talents in the U21 structure, however, in the form of Portuguese ace Diogo Monteiro.
The next Liam Cooper
Monteiro could well be the best successor to fill the void left behind by Cooper’s absence, having excited those at Elland Road for some time with his defensive exploits for the U21s.
The promising 19-year-old has even worn the captain’s armband playing in this age bracket on occasion, demonstrating the same leadership qualities that made Cooper a well-liked figure in West Yorkshire during his Leeds peak.
Monteiro’s appearances for the Leeds U21s | |
|---|---|
Season | Games played |
24/25 | 1 |
23/24 | 18 |
22/23 | 9 |
Sourced by Transfermarkt | |
Last campaign in the Premier League 2 saw Monteiro’s minutes spike for the youthful side, making 18 appearances in total, as the likes of Charlie Crew – who has begun to make waves in the Leeds first-team set-up – played alongside him.
The teenage defender will hope his moment in the senior spotlight comes soon, knowing full well that his game could be taken to the next level lining up alongside the likes of Rodon in the Championship, having seen first-hand what first-team experience did for Archie Gray last campaign.
Rodon hasn’t quite been at his best so far this season, compared to his imposing brilliance during the 2023/24 campaign, but the Welshman still managed to help his team pick up back-to-back clean sheets and wins before the international break.
Winning all of the aerial duels that came his way during Leeds’ 2-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday last month, Monteiro could complement Rodon’s brute nature if selected soon, with football scout Ron Dor on social media referring to the Portuguese youngster as a “monster” during his Servette days.
Monteiro is yet to make his first-team debut for Leeds, but with Cooper now gone, the time could be right for Farke to experiment with what he has for the future in the centre-back department.
