JAKE Cooper had his heart set on sealing a permanent move to Millwall from Reading FC.
Lions boss Neil Harris claims the 22-year-old defender from Ascot was desperate to join the Championship newcomers after helping them win promotion through the play-offs while on loan at The Den last season.
The former pupil of Forest School in Winnersh finally got his wish when he joined Millwall for around £400,000 last Friday, signing a three-year deal.
Harris told Millwall fans’ website, News At Den: “Jake told me in April that his future lay here, that he wanted to be here.
“Even when I left him out of the starting XI at Wembley he still wanted to be here.
“It took a little bit longer than anticipated but Jake was always the number one target and he was desperate to come.
“He was one I was really keen to sign because there aren’t many 6ft 6ins left-footed centre-halves available and I thought for us to have real balance in our defence we needed a left-footer.”
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— Millwall FC (@MillwallFC) July 28, 2017
He's back!#Millwall are delighted to confirm the permanent signing of Jake Cooper from @ReadingFC for an undisclosed fee pic.twitter.com/X7QM5B4erO
Cooper impressed Harris after joining Millwall on loan in January. He made 18 appearances for the club as they secured promotion by beating Bradford City in the League One play-off final at Wembley.
The former Reading Academy defender played 54 times for Reading’s first-team, but his chances of adding to that total appeared slim under boss Jaap Stam this season.
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