Leeds United have just over a month to go before their opening match of the 2024/25 campaign in the Championship against Portsmouth at Elland Road.
The Whites are preparing for a second season in the second tier after they failed to earn an instant promotion back to the Premier League last term.
Daniel Farke's side finished third in the division before they went on to lose in the final of the play-offs, with Adam Armstrong's goal enough to send Southampton to the top-flight with a 1-0 win at Wembley in May.
Portsmouth
H
West Brom
A
Sheffield Wednesday
A
Hull
H
Burnley
H
Leeds start the campaign with a clash against newly-promoted Portsmouth before back-to-back away trips to West Brom and Sheffield Wednesday, which could make for an interesting opening few weeks.
It remains to be seen what the squad will look like for the West Yorkshire outfit as there could be plenty of change in the summer transfer window.
Archie Gray has already left to join Tottenham Hotspur and Joe Rodon has signed on a permanent deal from Spurs after his loan spell, but the club are yet to do any other inwards business.
One player who the club could need to dip into the market to replace before the end of the window is veteran central defender Liam Cooper.
Why Liam Cooper needs to be replaced
The Scotland international is currently a free agent after his contract with the club expired at the end of June and it currently looks like his future is set to be away from Elland Road.
TEAMtalk recently reported that the experienced defender is expected to move on from the Whites after the two parties failed to agree on a contract extension.
Leeds did offer the left-footed enforcer an offer to remain for the 2024/25 campaign and the official line at the moment is that they are waiting for a decision on his future, but TEAMtalk claimed that a parting of the ways is now likely.
He was not an integral player for the Yorkshire-based outfit on the pitch last season but was needed at times and provided leadership and experience off the pitch.
Appearances
15
Starts
8
Pass accuracy
90%
Ground duel success rate
55%
Aerial duel success rate
58%
As you can see in the table above, Farke did need to call upon him as a starter in eight league matches throughout the term and Cooper stepped up to provide a reliable passing option whilst holding his own in physical duels against opposition attackers.
The Scottish battler, however, did have mixed success at playing the ball out from the back to build attacks for the Whites from a centre-back position.
He ranked within the top 13% of his positional peers in the division for progressive passes per 90 (4.59) but also ranked in the bottom 8% for shot-creating actions per 90 (0.51) and the bottom 19% for progressive carries per 90 (0.26).
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent's goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.
This shows that Cooper was able to progress the ball at an impressive rate but did not get it into dangerous enough areas to create shooting chances for his team, and did not do much to carry the ball forward.
Who could replace Liam Cooper at Leeds
Farke could land a dream replacement for Cooper at Elland Road by dipping into the market to sign one of the club's reported transfer targets this summer.
Earlier in the window, it was reported by Afton Bladet, via The 72, that Leeds are one of the teams interested in a swoop to sign central defender Eric Smith from St. Pauli.
The German outfit are preparing for a season in the Bundesliga after they won the 2. Bundesliga title last term but the Whites are seemingly hoping to persuade the Swedish enforcer to make the drop down to the English second tier.
It revealed that fellow Championship side West Bromwich Albion, who Leeds play in the opening five games of the season, are also in the race to sign the £14k-per-week centre-back.
However, it was not revealed how much it would take to secure an agreement with St. Pauli or how much Farke's side are prepared to pay for him.
Why Leeds should sign Eric Smith
The Whites should now push ahead with a deal to sign Smith as he could be a dream replacement for Cooper to come in and compete with the likes of Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk for a starting role in the defence.
Firstly, the Sweden international is an experienced player at the age of 27 and could come in and offer leadership and guidance to the younger players in the squad. He may not be as well-travelled as the Scotsman, who turns 33 next month, but is also not a young player still learning his trade.
Smith's performances for St. Pauli last season also suggest that he has the quality to come in and be an upgrade on Cooper as a centre-back option for Farke next term.
Appearances
26
15
Tackles + interceptions per game
1.9
1.6
Ball recoveries per game
5.4
3.0
Ground duel success rate
66%
55%
Aerial duel success rate
60%
58%
As you can see in the table above, the Swedish titan could immediately offer more than the 32-year-old defender when it comes to dominating opposition players in physical duels, to protect Illan Meslier's goals.
The 27-year-old ace, who was dubbed the "heartbeat" of the St. Pauli side by video scout Adam Khan, also ranked within the top 9% of his positional peers in the division for progressive passes per 90 (5.83) and the top 3% for shot-creating actions per 90 (2.17).
This suggests that his progressive passes created more high-quality chances for his teammates than Cooper's did in the Championship, as they led to more shots for his side.
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Therefore, Smith could offer more to Farke in and out of possession in comparison to to the departing Scotsman, which is why he could be a dream replacement.
