How Liam Cooper reacted to Sheffield Wednesday arrival in just 8 words | OneFootball

The 34-year-old has finally joined the Owls after a long-standing transfer debacle

Sheffield Wednesday's newest recruit, Liam Cooper, reacted to his eventual Hillsborough transfer in just eight words on Monday night.

The former Leeds United captain had been linked with a switch to the Steel City outfit for some time, but had previously been unable to complete his latest career move due to a plethora of transfer and registration embargoes which were imposed on the Championship's rock-bottom side by the EFL.

However, a return to his native Yorkshire was finally completed at the beginning of a week in which Wednesday host the first of their derby encounters against Sheffield United in S6 on Sunday lunchtime, in what will be a fixture full of emotion and passion as a result of recent developments in this part of the world.

Henrik Pedersen had made it no secret that his wish was to add bodies to his threadbare squad, having previously only been able to recruit the services of Ethan Horvath and Harry Amass on loan from Cardiff City and Manchester United respectively, with it being well-documented that the young left-back's temporary switch from Old Trafford was all being paid for by the Premier League side to help the Owls in their hour of need.

Several other free agents have been linked with a move to Hillsborough in recent days, as it was confirmed on Friday that the EFL had struck an agreement with the club's administrators, Begbies Traynor, in which they are able to recruit two signings on a free transfer that are unattached to another club at present.

Cooper is the first of those, and the experienced figure, who is no stranger to playing for 'fallen giants' in the Championship, wasted no time in laying down the law after penning a contract until the end of the campaign.

As previously mentioned, the Hull-born centre-back has become a household name in the Championship over the past decade or so, particularly due to his exploits at Elland Road between 2014 and 2024, during which he captained Leeds to the second-tier title in the 2019/20 season under the guidance of Marcelo Bielsa, which ended a 16-year hiatus from the Premier League for Wednesday's local rivals.

The 19-time 'Tartan Army' international had most recently featured for Bulgarian top flight side, CSKA Sofia, before departing the capital club in July despite captaining the side in the opening two games of the season, with his 27th and final appearance for them coming against Spartak Varna almost four months ago.

His exit and Wednesday's desperate situation made him a prime target for Pedersen, who previously featured for Hull City in a period which Cooper's senior career was just getting off and running with his hometown club in 2008, before a deal was finally confirmed at the start of 'derby week' in Sheffield.

Clearly looking to make an immediate impression on and off the pitch, the defender took to his Instagram story to issue a passionate eight-word message to all Wednesdayites.

"Time to get to work. Delighted to be here," he said.

Liam Cooper's presence will be invaluable to Sheffield Wednesday in the short-term

There's no doubting that, aside from being another body in Pedersen's squad, Cooper has all the attributes to be an invaluable short-term presence for the Owls.

Whilst Leeds' situation in the mid-2010s is hardly comparable to that of Wednesday right now, the towering centre-back knows exactly what is required when it comes to transforming the fortunes of a high-profile club which has fallen on hard times.

He will join the likes of Barry Bannan and Liam Palmer as senior figures within a relatively young - as well as threadbare - squad, which will only benefit the development of those coming through the ranks, who have been forced into the first-team spotlight this term through no fault of their own.

On a free transfer, this deal felt like a no-brainer, and there is a chance that Cooper's stay with the club could surpass the end of the campaign should he prove a success.