Steve Cooper to quit as Swansea City manager
Steve Cooper #SteveCooper
Steve Cooper is set to leave his position as head coach of Swansea City, after two years in charge.
Cooper is close to agreeing a mutual termination of his contract with the Championship club, and an official announcement could be made later this week.
The 41 year-old is quitting Swansea after guiding them to the play-offs in two successive campaigns, amid concerns over the future direction of the club.
Cooper has performed brilliantly as head coach since his appointment in June 2019, managing to keep the squad competitive, but has lost a number of key players including Joe Rodon, Oliver McBurnie and Dan James, while Andre Ayew is now out of contract.
Marc Guehi and Rhian Brewster have impressed on loan in South Wales but have since returned to their parent clubs. Guehi, the defender, signed for Crystal Palace this week from Chelsea while Brewster earned a £23.5 million move to Sheffield United after an excellent season at the Liberty Stadium.
With transfer funds expected to be minimal again this summer, and with the potential sale of other coveted players, including midfielder Matt Grimes, Cooper has decided the time is right to pursue a new challenge.
Palace were interested in appointing Cooper this summer before the appointment of Patrick Vieira, though a move was complicated by the £3m compensation figure written into his contract.
A former England Under-17s manager, winning the World Cup in 2017, Cooper has established a reputation for improving young players with an identifiable style of play.
After the pre-season friendly win over Plymouth on Tuesday night, Cooper declined to discuss his future.
“I think if there is any real news that’s when we would speak,” he told BBC Sport Wales.
“There’s no official updates on anything. You know I don’t like talking about myself so let’s focus on the boys.
“I am here, I am working hard. Day by day, that’s how it is. I have always been that way. I have not paid attention to anything else.
“If there’s anything really official to talk about me, we’ll talk about it then but there’s not so we’ll leave it at that.”
Swansea begin their Championship season on August 7 with a trip to Blackburn Rovers.
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