Luke Ayling, a defender with six months remaining on his contract, left Leeds United earlier this month and may not be coming back. Liam Cooper may follow in his footsteps.
With three straight 3-0 victories in the league and FA Cup, the Whites are dominating 2024 thus far. They have defeated Cardiff City and Birmingham City before defeating Peterborough United in the third round.
It coincides with the team’s obvious need for additions in the transfer window, despite having to make due with its present shortage of defensive depth.
Luke Ayling leaves, Liam Cooper likely to follow
The most notable player to leave Elland Road this month was Luke Ayling, who signed a half-season loan with Middlesbrough before his contract expired in the summer.
After spending seven and a half years with Leeds after coming from Bristol City for a steal in 2016, he said an emotional goodbye to the team.
But according to Phil Hay of The Athletic, Liam Cooper, who is in his tenth year at LS11, isn’t anticipated to trail long behind, given his contract is also expiring in the summer.
Given all the signs that his contract won’t be renewed in May, Cooper is quite likely to follow eventually, if not within this window.
“Under Farke, he is more involved than Ayling was, a fixture in Leeds’ lineup on matchdays if not consistently, but there has been a deliberate decision that the majority of Bielsa’s remaining title-winners are too far gone from their prime.”
Robin Koch is the first player to officially end his time at Leeds with his deal up this summer, having penned a pre-contract agreement with Eintracht Frankfurt last week.
A number of others have uncertain futures as they entered the last six months of their deals in January:
| Players with expiring contracts | Date joined |
|---|---|
| Luke Ayling | Summer 2016 |
| Liam Cooper | Summer 2014 |
| Stuart Dallas | Summer 2015 |
| Ian Poveda | January 2020 |
| Sam Byram | Summer 2023 |
| Jamie Shackleton | Academy |
| Lewis Bate | Summer 2021 |
There has already been a significant change this season, something Daniel Farke and the 49ers desperately needed considering how unfortunate our relegation was.
The players who were so frequently our Premier League starters were unreliable, and this season’s infusion of fresh talent has given us newfound vigor.
However, there is still value in having players like Cooper and Ayling around for the changeover since their expertise will be crucial in bringing the ship into balance.
But Cooper needs an endorsement.
