Brandon Cooper out to follow in footsteps of fellow academy products

Brandon Cooper has his sights set on following in the footstep of a number of his fellow academy products by becoming a first-team regular at Swansea City after signing a new contract.

Cooper, 20, has been with the Swans since the age of six, and he further extended his time in the club’s colours after putting pen to paper on a deal through to the summer of 2023, with the option for an additional year.

The young centre-half is currently enjoying a fine loan spell with Newport County, and he already has two senior Swansea appearances under his belt.

And he hopes there is plenty more of that to come in the future.

“Obviously I can’t get too far ahead of myself, there is plenty of work to do, but my goal is to be a regular first-team player for Swansea City,” said the Wales Under-21 international.

“I played alongside guys like Ben Cabango, Joe Rodon and Connor Roberts in the academy set-up, and I want to do what they have done.

“I’ve managed to make a couple of appearances, but my goal is to make an awful lot more for Swansea City.

“That’s all I have ever wanted to do since I joined the club when I was six.

“I have to keep working hard, I am enjoying this loan spell, Steve Cooper and Alan Tate have kept in touch with me and provided advice and been really positive with me.

“Now, with this new contract, I have a good foundation to really try and press on from here and get to where I want to be.”

Defender Cooper has enjoyed an outstanding start to his loan spell at Rodney Parade.

He has already racked up 21 appearances for the Exiles in all competitions, netted his first senior goal in their win over Harrogate, and picked up the EFL League Two young player of the month for October.

The exposure to the relentless demands of this season’s unique schedule has been welcomed by the youngster, particularly as a loan spell at Yeovil last season was cut short after just three appearances by the coronavirus pandemic.

“It has gone really well, I don’t think I could have asked for more,” he said of his move to join Mike Flynn’s side.

“It’s a really good set-up here, I know guys like Liam Shepherd and Josh Sheehan from my time at Swansea which has helped me settle in, and I’ve got plenty of football under my belt.

“I’ve already got 25 games under my belt, including internationals, and I think we’ve pretty much played every midweek and weekend since I joined.

“I’ve loved that as I just want as much time out on the pitch as I can get.

“I did not have long at Yeovil last season before Covid brought that to an end, while I nearly joined Newport at the start of last season but it fell through.

“So, this is a chance I’ve been looking for, and it’s been great to me.

“I’ve learnt a lot about the mentality it takes, particularly when you are playing in a winning side and you need to keep performing to a high level.

“It’s been a big benefit to me and it has made me a better player.”