Don Goodman, a Sky Sports pundit and EFL specialist, believes the prospective free agent addition of Liam Cooper would be a significant help to Sheffield Wednesday’s currently depleted roster. The Owls’ current position at the bottom of the Championship table has been well documented, with Henrik Pedersen faced with the seemingly impossible task of keeping the Steel City side in the second tier for a fourth consecutive season due to a slew of off-pitch issues. The most recent and high-profile of these at board level was Wednesday’s placement into administration by controversial former president Dejphon Chansiri three weeks ago, placing the club in the temporary hands of Begbies Traynor. The aforementioned firm has previous experience dealing with EFL clubs such as Wigan Athletic and Blackpool, and has been extremely transparent with all involved with the South Yorkshire side, including players, administrative staff, coaching staff, and long-suffering supporters, who are now hoping for a brighter and more stable future under a new custodian, whoever that may be. At the moment, however, Paul Stanley, Julian Pitts, and lifelong supporter Kris Wigfield are doing everything in their power to improve what was the most dire of situations at Hillsborough, with Pedersen’s men on the pitch responding to an automatic 12-point deduction with two draws and as many defeats in four games prior to the international break. Previous transfer and registration restrictions made it effectively impossible for the Danes to recruit reinforcements beyond the loan arrivals of Ethan Horvath and Harry Amass from Cardiff City and Manchester United, but this is set to change, potentially allowing Cooper to return to his native Yorkshire. Don Goodman reacts to recent Sheffield Wednesday news involving former Leeds United captain Liam Cooper.
Menu Football League World logo Exclusive: Sheffield Wednesday backed to sign ex-Leeds United star to help solve ‘alarming’ issue. Sheffield Wednesday FC & Liam Cooper Follow Like Thread Copy link to clipboard 4. By Benedict Ferraby, 1 hour ago. Don Goodman, a Sky Sports pundit and EFL specialist, believes the prospective free agent addition of Liam Cooper would be a significant help to Sheffield Wednesday’s currently depleted roster. The Owls’ current position at the bottom of the Championship table has been well documented, with Henrik Pedersen faced with the seemingly impossible task of keeping the Steel City side in the second tier for a fourth consecutive season due to a slew of off-pitch issues. The most recent and high-profile of these at board level was Wednesday’s placement into administration by controversial former president Dejphon Chansiri three weeks ago, placing the club in the temporary hands of Begbies Traynor. The aforementioned firm has previous experience dealing with EFL clubs such as Wigan Athletic and Blackpool, and has been extremely transparent with all involved with the South Yorkshire side, including players, administrative staff, coaching staff, and long-suffering supporters, who are now hoping for a brighter and more stable future under a new custodian, whoever that may be. At the moment, however, Paul Stanley, Julian Pitts, and lifelong supporter Kris Wigfield are doing everything in their power to improve what was the most dire of situations at Hillsborough, with Pedersen’s men on the pitch responding to an automatic 12-point deduction with two draws and as many defeats in four games prior to the international break. Previous transfer and registration restrictions made it effectively impossible for the Danes to recruit reinforcements beyond the loan arrivals of Ethan Horvath and Harry Amass from Cardiff City and Manchester United, but this is set to change, potentially allowing Cooper to return to his native Yorkshire. Don Goodman reacts to fresh Sheffield. Wednesday news involving former Leeds United captain Liam Cooper Liam Cooper, Leeds United vs Sheffield Wednesday Cooper was linked with a free transfer to S6 in September, however such a deal was ruled out due to a new registration embargo, with Wednesday unable to add free agents to their already depleted squad. In recent days, it appeared that the Scotland international and former Leeds United captain was set to make the switch, while the administrators continued in talks with the EFL about adding reinforcements before the January transfer window. Indeed, on Friday morning, it was stated that the governing body had authorized Wednesday to sign two free agents, with the Sheffield Star later disclosing that Cooper’s contract with the second-tier’s lowest side “could be done relatively quickly.” As a result, Goodman believes the arrival of the 34-year-old, who left CSKA Sofia in July, would be beneficial in addressing the Owls’ defensive problems. “Obviously, Sheffield Wednesday are struggling at both ends of the pitch,” the Sky Sports analyst said exclusively to Football League World. “They are failing to score goals. But what’s more concerning is how many they’ve allowed in – 29 in 15 games, or roughly two per game, making it nearly impossible to win. “Shoring up that defence has to be a priority,” Goodman remarked. “There’s no doubt that Liam Cooper’s experience would benefit that bunch of players. “He has an excellent track record at that level. It’s simply a matter of how soon they can bring him up to speed, as it feels like a long time since he’s played competitively on a regular basis. “Hopefully they get him up to speed and get the version that the Leeds United fans last saw in the Championship,” according to him. Liam Cooper’s experience might be important for Sheffield Wednesday.
In Wednesday’s current predicament, adding Cooper’s depth and expertise appears to be a ‘no-brainer’, especially given the club’s desire to establish a winning and good culture. The defender will know exactly what is necessary, having been at the forefront of doing so at Elland Road, though it remains to be seen how many times he may appear unexpectedly following a prospective trade. As Goodman highlighted, it has been some time since he last appeared competitively, with that coming for CSKA Sofia against Spartak Varna on July 26th, having also served as captain of the Bulgarian team, further demonstrating his leadership talents.
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