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Liam Cooper could be set for a return to Yorkshire with Sheffield Wednesday

Sky Sports pundit and EFL expert Don Goodman believes the potential free agent signing of Liam Cooper would be a huge boost to Sheffield Wednesday's currently threadbare squad.

The Owls' current situation at the foot of the Championship table has been well-documented, with Henrik Pedersen left with a seemingly impossible task of preserving the Steel City side's status in the second-tier for a fourth successive season due a plethora of difficulties which have followed a series of off-pitch events.

The latest, and most high-profile of those, at board level was the fact Wednesday were placed into administration by controversial former president, Dejphon Chansiri, three weeks ago, leaving the club in the temporary hands of the administrative group, Begbies Traynor.

The aforementioned firm have previous experience in dealing with EFL sides such as Wigan Athletic and Blackpool, and have been extremely transparent with all associated with the South Yorkshire side, be it players, administrative staff, coaching staff, as well as long-suffering supporters, who are now hoping for a brighter and more stable future under a new custodian, whoever that may be.

At present, though, Paul Stanley, Julian Pitts and lifelong supporter, Kris Wigfield, are doing everything within their power to improve what was the most bleak 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, once again, effectively impossible for the Dane to recruit reinforcements beyond the loan arrivals of Ethan Horvath and Harry Amass from Cardiff City and Manchester United, although that is somewhat set to change, and could pave the way for Cooper to return to his native Yorkshire.

Cooper was linked with a move to S6 on a free transfer in September, before such possibilities were denied after a fresh registration embargo, with Wednesday unable to even add free agents to their thin squad.

In recent days, it emerged that the Scotland international and ex-Leeds United captain was primed to eventually make the switch as the administrators remained in dialogue with the EFL over the possibility of adding reinforcements prior to the January transfer window.

Indeed, on Friday morning, it was claimed that the governing body have allowed Wednesday to recruit two free agents, with the Sheffield Star subsequently revealing that a deal between Cooper and the second-tier's bottom club "could be done relatively swiftly."

As such, Goodman believes the addition of the 34-year-old, who exited CSKA Sofia in July, would be a welcome one in order to aid the Owls' defensive shortcomings.

"Obviously, Sheffield Wednesday are struggling at both ends of the pitch," the Sky Sports pundit exclusively told Football League World.

"They're struggling to score goals. But, what's more alarming is the amount they've let in - 29 already in 15 games, nearly 2 per game, which makes it almost impossible to win games.

"Shoring up that defence has to be a priority," Goodman stated. "No doubt, the experience Liam Cooper could bring to that group of players, you'd like to think, would help.

"He's got a great track record at that level. It's just a case of how quickly they can get him up to speed, because it feels like quite some 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," he added.

Liam Cooper's experience could be invaluable for Sheffield Wednesday

In Wednesday's current situation, adding further depth and experience with the addition of Cooper seems a 'no-brainer', particularly during a time in which the club are looking to implement a winning and positive culture.

Having been at the forefront of doing exactly that at Elland Road, the defender will know exactly what is required, although it remains to be seen how many times he could feature suddenly after a potential deal is struck.

As Goodman alluded to, it has been some time since he last featured competitively, with that coming for CSKA Sofia against Spartak Varna on July 26th, having also been captain of the Bulgarian side, further showcasing his leadership abilities.