Speaking on Don’t Go To Bed Just Yet late on deadline day (August 30), the BBC journalist said the Tottenham defender’s arrival was all the more necessary due to the apparent departure of the Whites captain.
However, apart from mentioning Cooper’s birthday, the club have still not made an official announcement to announce the Scotland international’s exit.
Buchan said (4m 50s): “They had to bring in Rodon because also, let’s not forget, Liam Cooper has left as far as we know.
“He was wished a happy birthday on Twitter the other day, but we haven’t heard anything more about his situation.”
Leeds United have signed Joe Rodon from Tottenham on a permanent deal
Cooper, 33, made 284 appearances for the club and captained them back to the Premier League under Marcelo Bielsa, so it is unusual that there has been no announcement of his departure.
He is said to be hoping to return to Daniel Farke’s side this summer, but the “highly regarded” defender and the club have been unable to agree the length of a new contract [TEAMtalk, July 3].
The centre-back looked set to sign for Blackburn Rovers, where he is said to be willing to cut his white wages to join [Lancashire Telegraph, July 12] before that deal falls through.
And a move to Hull City was in the offing late on before the deadline, which would have brought him back to Elland Road immediately as a member of the opposition [Yorkshire Evening Post, August 26], but there too there was no sign of success.
It could be that the Whites are waiting for his next move before making an announcement, but with his contract already expiring, it’s strange that the situation has been publicly ignored.
Cooper didn’t expect a return to Leeds at the end of last season when promotion hit hard [Phil Hay, April 5] but a second season in the Championship has put the possibility back on the table.
If he’s still without a club in the coming weeks, it’s possible he could return, but he’s available as a free agent beyond the transfer window.