Why ‘exceptional’ ace is the only player out of contract Leeds United should hand him a new deal this summer

Liam Cooper is arguably the most famous name on the list, having just completed his 10th year at the club following a £600,000 arrival from Chesterfield in 2014.

Cooper has already confirmed he will be leaving his boyhood club this summer, and the fact he received such a rapturous reception when he took to the pitch against Norwich City at Elland Road means all the signs are there.

Sam Byram and Jamie Shackleton, who have both dealt with a number of injury problems throughout the season, are out of contract next month.

Meanwhile, Ian Poveda, Lewis Bate and Cody Drameh have all spent either the full season or half a season on loan and have almost certainly played their last games for the club.

Why Sam Byram is the only out-of-contract Leeds player worth a deal

From this list, it wouldn’t be a major surprise or concern if all of these players were in fact released by Leeds this summer.

While Cooper is and has been a fantastic captain, his impact on the field is not what it once was. At 32, this could be his last chance to earn a decent contract and go play regularly somewhere.

Leeds clearly don’t feel they need the services of Poveda, Bate or Drameh, while the frequent unavailability of both Byram and Shackleton is a problem.

However, if there is one player who deserves a new deal the most, it would be Byram. After signing a one-year deal last summer, everyone knew he was arriving with fitness issues.

However, getting 37 appearances from him in all competitions would suggest he has contributed more than enough, especially with Junior Firpo sidelined for the first half of the season. Daniel Farke even labeled him “outstanding” and one of Leeds’ best free signings.

The 30-year-old is a good, solid player at this level and given the amount of experience Leeds are losing this summer, it would be a waste to give up on Byram so easily.

As such, Leeds should look to offer him another one-year deal, but take the pressure off the amount he needs to play, making him a third-choice full-back on either flank.

That way, Byram would only be needed whenever Leeds are in some kind of injury crisis, which should allow him to be available more often.

What did Byram say about the prospect of a new deal?

Byram last talked about the prospect of signing a new deal until January, just as injury problems began to affect him.

However, he could not have made it any clearer what he would like to do as he claimed he would “love” to stay at Elland Road even longer.

“I would like to (stay here longer). “My partner and I are very quiet. It’s home, family and friends. A huge club. I would like to stay, you can’t predict the future. I have to keep playing and see what happens.”

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