“We haven’t had the conversation, but if it’s me I’ll be really proud, I’ve been here for a long time”- Leeds star says he’d love to be club captain next season as Daniel Farke confirms Liam Cooper’s departure

The Leeds United captain’s armband is up for grabs after Daniel Farke confirmed there is no surprise return for Liam Cooper last week, and one player has said he would be delighted to wear it.

Cooper’s decade at Elland Road has finally come to an end after nearly 300 appearances for the Yorkshire club. Cooper is currently in talks with Blackburn, though length of a contract is dictating negotiations.

In his absence last season, Cooper watched on as Pascal Struijk wore the armband for the first half of the season before Ethan Ampadu donned the honour with Struijk missing the second half of the campaign.

It is unclear as things stand who will wear the armband, with Ampadu wearing it against Harrogate last Friday but Struijk not starting as he continues his comeback from the long-term injury that kept him out.

Described as “absolutely fantastic” by Jon Newsome, Struijk was probably in his best form in a Leeds shirt before the injury struck. Indeed, he was even nominating himself for penalties away at Preston North End.

No-one was questioning his captaincy but Ampadu has since starred in the role, perhaps boasting that kind of aura one expects of a captain while Struijk is self-admittedly quiet. He responded to Leeds Live.

“We haven’t had the conversation, but if it’s me I’ll be really proud. I’ve been here for a long time. I’ve been enjoying my time. If that happens, I would be really proud and grateful for something like that.”

Patrick Bamford has worn the armband on a number of occasions and while he is a senior member in the Leeds side, he doesn’t come across as most captains would. Strikers are rarely given the role, either.

That and Bamford struggles to start most weeks due to injury. Joe Rodon is now a permanent addition and probably the loudest member of the team and he is certainly well within a shout for the armband.

Illan Meslier is a regular and has been at Leeds for a long time now compared to others. But there is no doubt that the next captain of Leeds officially, will be wither Ampadu or Struijk ahead of 2024-25.