Warrington Wolves boss Daryl Powell wanted Mike Cooper gone early following Wigan Warriors move

Wigan Warriors announced the signing of Warrington Wolves forward Mike Cooper this morning.

With a move expected ahead of the 2023 Super League season, it has been revealed that Warrington boss Daryl Powell wanted rid of Cooper early with the Wolves contacting Wigan about a potential early move.

There had been inklings earlier in the season that the pair did not see eye to eye and Cooper was left out of Powell’s side for the loss to the Castleford Tigers at the weekend despite the injury to Kyle Amor.

“Warrington contacted us and asked was it a possibility,” Peet told Wigan Today. “I received a phone call and I was really hopeful that we could do it.

“All I did then was pass it onto Kris (Radlinski, executive director) because that’s not really my job.

“I was contacted so I was the messenger Kris picked it up with Warrington. Thanks to Kris and Ian (Lenagan, owner) they were able to get it done quickly – my part in that was non-existent really.

“Us as coaches work together with Ian and Kris when we identify a player we want. We all agreed that the timing was great.

“It is something we’ve had success with in the past, more recently with Brad Singleton but we’ve had success before that.”

The 33-year-old England international brings a wealth of experience to the Wigan team, playing 238 games for Warrington Wolves and making 69 appearances for St George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL.

Warriors Executive Director, Kris Radlinski, said: “Once it became clear to Mike that he was not part of Warrington’s plans for the remainder of the year, we seized the opportunity to strengthen our squad at a key point in the season. With eight games to go before the Play-Offs begin, we get a guy with bags of experience who is hungry for success. We look forward to him getting started and is available for selection immediately.”

On arriving at the Club, Cooper told Wigan TV: “It’s been a bit of a whirlwind but I’m here now and I just want to get started and put my best foot forward.

“It’s a proud Club with huge history and proven success and I want to be a part of that. Hopefully I can add to what we’ve already got here. Wigan have a history of playing a certain way – playing with a load of intent and that suits me.”