Swansea City co-owner Jason Levien has revealed that the club are keen to extend manager Steve Cooper's contract at the Liberty Stadium.
Cooper took over as Swansea manager back in the summer of 2019, and after guiding them to the play-offs last season, has now taken them to third in the current Championship table, just one point adrift of the play-off places.
The 41-year-old's current deal is set to expire at the end of next season, but it already seems as though the club are planning to secure Cooper's future in Wales beyond that point, even if their immediate focus is on the Championship promotion race.
Speaking in a press conference earlier this week, Levien was asked about a possible contract extension for Cooper, with the BBC quoting the Swansea co-owner as saying: “Sure. I think that’s right. I think we have a lot of faith in Steve Copper, a lot of belief in what he has done and a lot of appreciation for it.
“We are living in the here and now. We have 20 matches left I believe in our league season and each one of them is going to be as tough as the next. That’s really where our focus is at the moment.”
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Indeed, it seems Cooper's efforts at the Liberty Stadium have already been recognised with improved terms on his current contract being brought in over the summer, with Levien going on to reveal: “We addressed Steve Cooper’s contract situation before the season. We made some changes, some improvements to it.”
Next up on the pitch for Cooper and Swansea is a huge match in the battle for promotion on Friday night, as they host league leaders Norwich City at the Liberty Stadium.
The Verdict
This does seem to be a sensible move for Swansea to make to me.
Cooper has already done brilliantly during his time at the Liberty Stadium so far, turning this team into one of the most impressive in the Championship this season.
It would therefore not be surprising if Cooper was to start attracting admiring glances from elsewhere, so it would make sense for Swansea to secure his position at the club before any interest becomes too serious.
Indeed, given the success he has already enjoyed with Swansea, and the recognition they have given him with those improvements to his current deal, you do feel as though Cooper ought to be open to putting pen to paper on a new contract with the club.