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Liam Cooper 'sick of hearing' about Leeds United spying incident

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Leeds captain Liam Cooper is keen to move on from the spying incident which overshadowed the recent win over Derby

Leeds United captain Liam Cooper says he is "sick of hearing" about the spying controversy surrounding the club and insists the matter has now been resolved.

The Sky Bet Championship leaders sparked fierce debate over the past week after a club employee was seen at Derby County's training ground ahead of their trip to Elland Road last Friday.

Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa admitted to sending someone to scout the Rams and Leeds issued an apology after the match, which the Yorkshire club won 2-0.

Bielsa subsequently admitted during a lengthy press conference on Wednesday that members of his coaching staff have watched training sessions of all their opponents this season.

The EFL has opened a formal investigation into the matter but Cooper insists the incident has not overshadowed Saturday's trip to Stoke.

He said: "It is just normal for us. To be honest I'm sick of hearing about all that now. We've got a big game to worry about on Saturday.

Marcelo Bielsa took responsibility for the decision to spy on Derby's training
Image: Marcelo Bielsa took responsibility for the decision to spy on Derby's training

"We've got to take one more step in the right direction, all of this is put to bed for the players now.

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"It is all over with and I think that is why Marcelo did the conference yesterday to put it all to bed. Let's talk about football now.

"We've got 19 massive games coming up, starting on Saturday at Stoke. It is not going to be easy."

Leeds are four points clear of Sheffield United at the top of the Championship and Cooper is desperate to lead the club back to the Premier League after 15 seasons outside the top flight.

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Bielsa admitted to having spied on all opponents' training sessions this season

He said: "Being at Leeds United is a pressure in itself. It is a massive club that expects success.

"We haven't managed to give the fans anything to shout about in the last couple of years but we're certainly heading in the right direction.

"There is a long way to go, it is a tough gruelling season and we're coming into the crunch time of the season now.

"Hopefully we can knuckle down, keep giving performances we know we're capable of and we'll see where that takes us."

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