Swansea City boss Alan Sheehan has revealed he has held talks with midfielder Ollie Cooper over a potential exit before next week’s transfer deadline.
The 25-year-old has fallen out of favour at his boyhood club since the appointment of Sheehan in December, initially as caretaker. This was partly due to injury, although he featured mainly as a substitute upon his return in February. Having emerged through the club’s academy, he has racked up 117 appearances for the club to date.
This season has seen Cooper completely on the fringes of the squad. He was an unused substitute for the first two games of the season, whereas he failed to make the matchday squad for last weekend’s 1-1 draw against Watford.
The former Newport County loanee has made one outing this season, playing the full 90 minutes in the Carabao Cup first round victory over Crawley Town. However, he was once again an unused substitute for their second round tie against Plymouth Argyle earlier this week.
Cooper Exit Looking Increasingly Likely
Speaking last week, Sheehan admitted that the Welsh international could depart if he was unhappy with the lack of game time, but has now admitted that conversations have taken place. Speaking ahead of Saturday’s clash against Sheffield Wednesday, he offered a fresh update:
“I think that’s something that will come out in the next couple of days and see where Ollie is.
“He was involved the other night [against Plymouth Argyle] and in league games as well, so I think for somebody like Ollie he does need to be playing regularly, and to go and have an impact on that World Cup squad is something that I’ve spoken about with him.
“We’ve had open dialogue but let’s see what happens in the next couple of days if he’s still here. If he goes he’ll be treated consistently by us.”
Writer’s View
It appears as though it will be best for Cooper to move onto pastures new before the end of the transfer window, even if that is on loan. He is under contract until 2027, meaning Swansea are likely to want a decent fee for their former academy graduate. However, it is imperative that the midfielder plays regularly this season in order to break back into Wales manager Craig Bellamy’s plans after recently losing his place in the squad. He will be desperate to play in next summer’s World Cup, something he won’t achieve if he isn’t on the pitch on a consistent basis.
