£600k Massimo Cellino deal gave Leeds United modern-day club legend | OneFootball

FLW take a look back in time on Liam Cooper's spell at Leeds United after Massimo Cellino signed the central defender.

Liam Cooper's summer-long transfer saga came to an end after the former Leeds United captain's move to Bulgarian club CSKA Sofia was confirmed, calling time on a ten-year spell at the club.

It was Massimo Cellino who bought the centre-back from League One Chesterfield for a fee reported by the Derbyshire Times as £600k. That's after Leeds initially offered £500k, but Chesterfield told them to double it.

The Whites went back with an improved £600,000 fee, to be paid in two installments, with a number of add-ons. They used money from Ross McCormack's sale on Cooper and a number of other signings from abroad.

That's because the previous season had seen Leeds only just survive in the Championship, thanks to the goals of McCormack, who was then sold to Fulham in the transfer window for a fee of around £11 million.

They would use the funds from the McCormack sale to put it towards no fewer than 15 signings for Leeds that summer, and further in the January window, too. The majority were not domestic-based players, but from Serie A, B, and C.

Liam Cooper was perhaps Massimo Cellino's best signing at Leeds United

Few players from the Cellino era managed to leave Leeds having made a lasting impression at Elland Road or having made an impact elsewhere. Although Cooper was signed by Andrea Radrizanni's predeccesor, the central defender's best years came during Radrizanni's era at the club.

Specifically, Cooper's peak at Leeds was under Marcelo Bielsa, where he lifted the Championship title in 2020. The Argentine took his career to new heights, including regular Premier League football. However, before becoming a key figure at Leeds, Cooper's footballing journey saw him cut his teeth in the lower leagues.

The Hull-born defender began his career at Hull City, where he made his senior debut but struggled to establish himself as a first-team regular. Loan spells at Carlisle United and Huddersfield Town offered him valuable experience, but it was his permanent move to Chesterfield in 2012 that allowed him to gain more consistent playing time.

Cooper's performances at Chesterfield caught the eye of Leeds and Cellino, who signed him in the summer of 2014. It set the stage for what would become a rollercoaster ride at Elland Road. His career in a white shirt was defined by resilience, leadership, and a fair share of ups and downs.

After arriving in 2014, Cooper's early years in West Yorkshire were marked by inconsistency, both in his form and the club’s fortunes. Leeds struggled for stability during his first few seasons, with managerial changes and off-field turbulence. However, despite the challenges, Cooper gradually grew into a reliable figure in the squad.

Unfairly, he was tagged as 'League One Liam' and was renowned for rash moments and silly challenges. Even after he was made captain, Cooper continued to make the same high-profile errors prior to Bielsa's arrival.

Marcelo Bielsa's impact on Liam Cooper cannot be understated - he became a Leeds United icon

The turning point for both Cooper and Leeds came with the appointment of Bielsa in 2018. Under the Argentine, Cooper’s development accelerated as he adapted to Bielsa’s demanding style of play.

Bielsa not only trusted him in the heart of defence but also kept him in post as club captain – a responsibility that Cooper embraced wholeheartedly in Bielsa's tenure in charge; his ability to lead by example on and off the pitch became one of his defining traits during this period.

Cooper's journey to Premier League promotion with Leeds in 2020 was a testament to his resilience. Having experienced the frustrations of near-misses and mid-table mediocrity, he played a crucial role in the club’s return to the top-flight after a 16-year exile.

Though he faced criticism at times for his mistakes, Cooper’s leadership and dedication never wavered, earning him a place in Leeds folklore. By a distance, it became Cellino's best addition to the side some five years prior.

Cooper partnered the likes of Pontus Jansson, Ben White, Robin Koch, and Diego Llorente during his best seasons at the club, but relegation to the Championship and Bielsa's departure saw his minutes start to wane in West Yorkshire.

Joe Rodon, Pascal Struijk and, then, Ethan Ampadu were all preferred to the Scotland international as options in the heart of defence last season, with the latter two sharing the captaincy when Cooper was out of the side.

With Max Wöber returning in the summer, Cooper's place fell even further in the pecking order, due to the two peak-age left-footed centre-backs, as opposed to Cooper in the twilight of his footballing career.

Cooper has been Mr Leeds United in many ways since joining from Chesterfield in 2014, and over the course of his tenure at Elland Road he made 284 appearances in both the Premier League and the Championship. He captained his boyhood club over 200 times as well.

A player spending a decade with one club is all too rare in today's game. Those that do spend such a prolonged length of time with a team are often seen as legends by the supporters, while their longevity signifies their value and importance on the pitch.

They can often outlast numerous managers and a plethora of teammates along the way, which is certainly true of Cooper's career both before and after Bielsa. Due to his impact waning on and off the field recently, the 33-year-old moved to CSKA Sofia in Bulgaria in the summer of 2024.

His stint may have ended on a low note after the play-off final, and injuries and form at times impacted his contributions, despite doing well in the first year with Bielsa in the top-flight. However, Cooper's passion for the club and his commitment to the cause have remained constant, marking him as a true servant of Leeds, and thus a modern-day legend of the club.