Leeds United’s £50,000-a-week duo may sign new contracts in the coming months.
According to sources, Leeds United talents Liam Cooper, Luke Ayling, and Patrick Bamford may stay at Elland Road beyond the summer.
All three are out of contract at the end of the season, having seen the club through the highs of Premier League promotion and the lows of relegation down to the Championship under four different managers.
Since taking over as head coach of the Peacocks this summer, Daniel Farke has done an excellent job of dealing with the turnover in the playing staff. Leeds are now third in the table, seven points behind Ipswich Town, who are in automatic promotion positions.
Leeds confirmed to the rest of the division that they are strong enough to challenge for a return to the top flight with a 1-0 win away against runaway league leaders Leicester City on Friday night. Farke, on the other hand, is unwilling to lose three first-team players whose playing time has been limited this season.
In an interview with GIVEMESPORT, journalist Dean Jones reported that the German coach wants to keep club captain Cooper, Ayling, and Bamford, and that the first two are likely to sign new contracts in 2024.
“I think it’s important that you have the experience of players like Cooper, Ayling and Bamford around the place, but of course, you want a freshness to come into the squad as well,” Jones added.
“You want to identify with a new generation of Leeds.” They’ve been excellent servants, particularly Cooper and Ayling, in terms of what they’ve brought to the club, even recently, and have performed well in the Premier League.
“I still believe those guys will be around after this season.” Both are expected to sign new contracts in the coming year. So I understand why they’ll stick around. I believe that depth will be vital, as will the combination of experience and present quality in helping Leeds get over the line.”
This season, all three are among the top twelve earnings at Elland Road. Bamford earns the club’s joint-highest weekly wage of £70,000, while Cooper and Ayling both get £25,000 per week.
Author’s Opinion
Farke and Leeds would be wise to keep Ayling and Cooper at the club. While the tandem no longer starts many games, they may still give a wealth of knowledge in a relatively young changing room.
However, keeping Bamford on board does not appear to be advantageous. The former Middlesbrough striker has only scored eight goals in all competitions for the first team in the last three seasons, but he is the team’s highest earner. It could be time to let go of the injury-prone frontman.
