JAKE Cooper believes that Millwall’s contract dealings this summer shows “great intent” at a time of so much financial uncertainty in the game.
Millwall confirmed new contracts for Cooper and Shane Ferguson last month, allaying fears they may have to sell players to raise cash.
Clubs currently have no gate receipts as games are played behind closed doors to try to limit the potential spread of Covid-19 in large gatherings.
The Lions’ income on match-day tickets was almost £6million in 2019. Now clubs may have to deal with no gate receipts for at least the first half of next season as well.
Millwall agreed new contracts with Mahlon Romeo and Shaun Hutchinson before the outbreak of the virus and the subsequent suspension of football.
And the club hasn’t taken their focus off ensuring they secure their most important playing assets on long deals.
“I think it’s great intent from the club, they’ve been really reliable for us, they’ve been great with us as players,” Cooper said.
“There’s no uncertainty at our club, we’re very happy and know the situation. It shows – especially when you see what’s happened to Wigan and other clubs – that it’s a stable football club.
“We’re very lucky to play for the club and the manager that we have. We’re happy moving forward and we feel that the club is going in the right direction.”
Cooper is a key player in Gary Rowett’s current preferred 5-2-3 system, getting more responsibility on the ball.
It’s something he worked on from his days at Reading.
“He could see from training that I could do more with the ball,” Cooper said of Rowett. “He played me in the centre a couple of times, and going out wider he trusts me, Hutch [Shaun Hutchinson] and Muzza [Murray Wallace] to get on the ball and bring it out from the back.
“He also asks us to hit that long diagonal to Matt Smith or whoever is up there, he still wants that at different times just to mix up the game so we’re not one-dimensional. We have different ways of playing and that makes it more difficult for the opposition.
“I had to work on [technique], obviously, because coming through at Reading everything was very technical and they wanted us to play that way through the academy. I got good chances to work on it then as I was always involved in teams that liked to have the ball.
“Being left-footed gave me a bit of an edge anyway, it was different to a lot of people. It’s about working on it and trying to be safe. I have made a couple of mistakes on the ball, as most centre-halves do.
“I want to be more assured and reliable for the manager.”
Image: Millwall FC