Steve Cooper: Head coach to leave Swansea City

Steve Cooper took charge of Swansea’s friendly win at Plymouth on Tuesday night

Steve Cooper is set to leave his position as Swansea City’s head coach.

Cooper, 41, has been in charge at the Liberty Stadium since June 2019 and had a year remaining on his contract.

He led Swansea to the Championship play-offs in each of his two seasons in charge, but there had been continued speculation that he could depart after defeat to Brentford at Wembley in May.

Cooper was in the dugout for Swansea’s pre-season friendly win at Plymouth Argyle on Tuesday night.

The former England Under-17 head coach is understood to have indicated he wanted to leave his post and is expected to come to a mutual agreement with the club.

Cooper is known to have had concerns about the strength of his playing squad following the summer departure of Andre Ayew as well as the exits of players like Freddie Woodman and Marc Guehi, who had impressed while on loan at the Liberty Stadium.

Swansea are yet to announce Cooper’s departure, with confirmation expected this week.

They are hopeful of making a swift appointment as they seek a replacement, with potential candidates already being considered by the club’s hierarchy.

Cooper’s exit is not a shock given the long-standing question marks surrounding his position.

He was a contender to take over at Crystal Palace before Patrick Vieira landed that job, while he was also heavily linked with Fulham until they opted for Marco Silva.

Cooper impressed in his two seasons at Swansea, finishing sixth and then fourth in the second tier despite working on a limited budget.

He made a number of shrewd signings and produced a team who played attractive football at times, although Cooper’s Swansea often ground out results, particularly in the 2020-21 campaign.

They showed their resilient side to beat Barnsley in last season’s play-off semi-finals, but were beaten by Brentford – who had also been Swansea’s conquerors in the previous year’s play-offs – after a lacklustre display in the final.

Cooper has been at the helm for Swansea’s pre-season campaign, and spoke to the media for the first time since missing out on a return to the Premier League following their 2-1 friendly win at Plymouth Argyle on Tuesday night.

When asked about the speculation surrounding his future, Cooper said: “I think if there is any real news that’s when we would speak.

“There’s no official updates on anything. You know I don’t like talking about myself so let’s focus on the boys.”