Current Leeds United star's role in surprise Liam Cooper move as Marcelo Bielsa praise reiterated

Liam Cooper called on former Leeds United teammate Ilia Gruev this summer as he weighed up a surprise move to Bulgarian outfit CSKA Sofia.

Cooper left Leeds at the end of last season after almost 10 years, with talks of a contract extension never materialising into a concrete proposal. The 33-year-old had seen discussions with Blackburn Rovers and Hull City fall through earlier in the transfer window before surprising just about everyone when news broke of his imminent move to Sofia.

Luckily for him, former teammate Gruev was born in the Bulgarian capital and despite never playing club football in his home country, the midfielder is a fully-fledged international. And the Leeds man was on hand to offer his advice, which seemingly worked.

"Stiliyan Petrov and Ilia Gruev talked to me a lot about the fans, expectations and that Sofia is a nice city,” Cooper told Gong.bg. “My whole career was in England and I didn't hesitate to try this. I'm leaving my comfort zone, it's something new and nice.

“The country is wonderful, a very nice place from which to learn a lot. The championship is competitive and that's what the last two rounds are about. It will be a good test for me to play here, but I'm sure I'll be able to help the team to win matches.”

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Bielsa praise

Despite spending much of last season on the fringes of first-team action, Cooper arrived in Bulgaria with a great weight of expectation as a former Premier League captain and Scotland regular. Reports surrounding the defender’s arrival have focused greatly on his role in winning promotion at Elland Road, which he and many of his former teammates attribute to one man.

Marcelo Bielsa remains a much-loved figure in West Yorkshire and was name-checked in Cooper’s goodbye message earlier this month. And the iconic Argentinian cropped up again as Leeds’ former captain reflected on his fondest memories at the club.

"It's been a great period for me to captain Leeds,” he added. “I'm a fan of the team and I've fulfilled my childhood dream. The club is very close to my heart and it always will be. My aim was to make my mark and I believe I have. Now there are a lot of good players and coaches, I hope they continue the great line.

"The promotion we got to the Premier League was certainly very special. The match in which I led the team with the captain's armband in the first game in the elite was also great for me. I still keep the shirt.

“I can single out Marcelo Bielsa. We didn't develop before him, and in six months he changed the understanding and culture in the club. He made the players believe and changed our way of thinking. Every day we were like one family. I am proud of what we have achieved.”