Leeds United have endured a rough summer thus far, after a promising start saw Daniel Farke bring in some real proven quality.
However, he is now being forced to play catch-up after the mass exodus he has overseen.
Who are Leeds United signing this summer?
No less than eight of his key first-team stars have departed Elland Road this summer, with more likely to come given the ludicrous relegation release clauses inserted by the overconfident previous ownership.
Their hubris has damned the immediate future of such a fine club, with the German boss left to pick up the pieces.
Fortunately, they remain alert in the market, unwilling to remain beaten down as they scour the window for replacements.
One such option has recently emerged, with journalist Pete O’Rourke taking to Twitter to issue an update on their pursuit of a Championship star:
“Leeds United and West Brom have joined Rangers in the chase for Millwall defender Jake Cooper”.
FootballTransfers value the 28-year-old stopper at €2.6m (£2m).
How good is Jake Cooper?
Left-footed centre-backs are a rare commodity nowadays, with their presence often needed to maintain balance in a back four that seeks to play out from the back.
It allows a side to have both central defenders stride out with poise, confident that they can use their favoured foot to fire balls out wide and progress the play.
Whilst Cooper does offer this, his starring assets instead sit with his defence-first nature, preferring to prevent goals above all else before he is willing to try and create.
As such, to pair the steely star with another of the Whites’ long-term transfer targets for the summer, and he could form a fine partnership with Nat Phillips should Farke opt to acquire them both.
After all, they would offer that left and right-footed balance, as well as a shared ability to thunder the ball to safety on every occasion.
Last season saw the Lions star feature 46 times in the Championship, as a mainstay for Gary Rowett’s play-off pushing outfit.
His consistency was rewarded, as he maintained a 6.94 average rating, buoyed by his six goal contributions, 15 clean sheets, 1.2 interceptions and 3.1 clearances per game, via Sofascore.
He was ever-present within a defence that shipped just 50 goals in 46 games, the fourth-best in the division. It was no surprise to see him lauded by his boss Rowett:
“It was a great header and he’s scored a few of them in recent weeks. He’s been invaluable to us. I thought he was excellent today. As our captain, he gave a real leadership performance. And to cap it all with a goal that wins us the game was really nice.”
Although having missed out on regular football since his loan spell at the back end of the 2021/22 campaign, Phillips still enjoyed a fine period during that time at AFC Bournemouth, as his 7.04 average rating in the Championship was helped by his eight clean sheets alongside 1.5 interceptions and 4.1 clearances per game, via Sofascore.
So often have Leeds been plagued by defensive woes, prioritising systems that abandon security at the back. Should Farke complete this double swoop, he would add perfect balance and a pair of true stalwarts to ensure that would never be the case again.
