After months of speculation, it appears that Steve Cooper has finally managed to force his way out of South Wales as the club have reluctantly agreed to terminate his contract by mutual consent later this week. Cooper quickly won over the love of the Jack Army during his time at the Liberty and Cooper's media presence and the way he often spoke about the club in such high-regard captivated many fans before a ball was even kicked during his 2 year tenure, but it was ultimately the winning results which has earned him the move to central London.
The Welshman led the Swans to the playoffs in consecutive seasons and has built himself a reputation of getting the best out young players. His connections from working with England's youth setup led to a number of hugely successful loan signings with Rhian Brewster, Marc Guéhi and Freddie Woodman being amongst the best of them.
Although this is sad news for everyone at Swansea City, the fans will always have fond memories of Cooper's time at the Liberty, with perhaps him punching the air after a number of pre-pandemic victories being the best way to illustrate the close connection he had build with the Jack army fanbase.
For Swansea City, this is the second time since their relegation to the Championship that Premier League clubs have swooped in and unsettled our manager after Brighton took Graham Potter off our hands before we hired Cooper back in 2019.
Cooper's departure will mean yet another major test for new chairman Julian Winter as his search begins to find Steve Cooper's replacement quickly before the start of summer transfer window on June 9th. To make matters worse, the club's search for a new manager will not begin on the sound financial footing which Cooper's £4.5 million compensation package would've provided the Swans should he have been successful in his interviews with Fulham and Crystal Palace.
New signings Kyle Joseph, Liam Walsh, Joel Piroe and Nico Defreitas-Hansen all appear to have been Steve Cooper type signings so with Cooper leaving it as late as he has to force a Swansea exit, the challenge for any incoming manager has been made that much more difficult.
Swansea fans will be hoping the club have Cooper's replacement already lined-up after these months of speculation should have given the club time to prepare for this eventuality.