Plymouth Argyle goalkeeper Michael Cooper turns down new contract

Plymouth Argyle goalkeeper Michael Cooper has turned down the chance to sign a new contract which would have made him the club's highest paid player ever, Plymouth Live understands.

As a result, Argyle are ready to listen to offers from rival clubs for the 24-year-old, whose existing deal runs until the end of the 2024/25 season, and will look to sell Cooper this summer so they can maximise the transfer value of the talented academy product.

Talks about a new contract for Cooper, who was Argyle's Player-of-the-Year in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons, have taken place since before the end of last term. Dealing with his probable departure, and finding an adequate replacement for him, will now become a key task for new Pilgrims' boss Wayne Rooney.

Plymouth Live today asked Argyle about Cooper turning down a new contract but as per the club's long-standing policy they responded by saying they do not comment on speculation.

The Argyle squad will report for the start of pre-season training next week as they prepare for their 2024/25 Championship campaign, which will begin against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough on Sunday, August 11.

The Pilgrims currently have three 'keepers under contract, with Northern Ireland international Conor Hazard and 19-year-old Zak Baker, who spent much of last season on loan to Southern League Premier South side Tiverton Town, being the other two in addition to Cooper. Callum Burton was released in May.

Cooper has made 161 first team appearances for Argyle since making his debut, while still an apprentice, as a half-time substitute for the injured Kyle Letheren during a League One game at Blackburn Rovers in October 2017.

He had deservedly earned a reputation as one of the top young 'keepers in the EFL before suffering a serious knee injury in a 1-0 defeat away to Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough in February 2023.

The torn anterior cruciate ligament ruled Cooper out for not only the rest of that season as Burton replaced him for the League One title-winning run-in, but he also missed the start of their first season back in the Championship in 13 years.

It led to Hazard being signed on a two-year contract from Scottish champions Celtic for £150,000 last summer and he was the first choice 'keeper until Cooper returned to action in October.

However, Cooper then had a further spell on the sidelines due to a different knee injury he sustained during a training session in December, but after three months out he was back between the posts again and played a big part in Argyle successfully avoiding relegation from the Championship.

That included keeping a clean sheet in the crucial season-ending 1-0 victory over Hull City at Home Park as Argyle stayed up by a point, with Birmingham City dropping down into League One instead

Rather sell Cooper for whom we have an adequate replacement then Whittaker who we will struggle to replace.

WR on Cooper

Want a keeper who can play with his feet

Michael is important to how we’ll play’

“He’s enjoyed pre-season and trained well”

“In my opinion, Michael Cooper will be here for the season”

Coventry City target a new number one, reports claim Plymouth Argyle star Michael Cooper is wanted.

Writing on his Patreon, reporter Alan Nixon states City are considering the 24-year-old. However, Premier League side Crystal Palace are also keen, and despite a likely battle for a starting berth, the lure of the top-flight could prove too strong for Cooper.

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Tgwu wrote:

Coventry City target a new number one, reports claim Plymouth Argyle star Michael Cooper is wanted.

Writing on his Patreon, reporter Alan Nixon states City are considering the 24-year-old. However, Premier League side Crystal Palace are also keen, and despite a likely battle for a starting berth, the lure of the top-flight could prove too strong for Cooper.

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Coventry poxy City??!

If Cooper goes there Hallett simply has to go

Coventry City Facing Premier League Battle For £1 Million-Rated Star. Better keeping him, worth more to us to stay up

Rumour Sheffield untied are interested now
Tbh iam fed up hearing about it now
Just wish they hurry up and flog him
He ain’t gunna sign a new deal as his stated
And clearly don’t want to be here
I’d go with Hazzard as No1 & drop cooper
You can’t play a keeper that don’t wanna be here surely
Hazzard didn’t deserve to be dropped at the time he was playing quite well and was a bit harsh tbh in my opinion just so they could put cooper back in the shop window

NOT GOING TO COVENTRY

Coventry City have secured the signing of 22-year-old Swedish goalkeeper Oliver Dovin from Hammarby. Dovin has agreed to a four-year contract with the Sky Blues.

Dovin made his senior debut for Hammarby in December 2020 and has since accumulated 84 appearances, achieving 28 clean sheets.

His performance helped his team clinch the Swedish domestic cup in 2021 and compete in the 2021/22 UEFA Conference League Play-Offs. By 2022, he became the first-choice keeper and earned his first full international cap.

On the international stage, Dovin debuted for Sweden’s senior team in January 2023 against Iceland and played again this year against Estonia, following his youth-level experience.




Manager Mark Robins expressed his enthusiasm about the new signing, stating, “We’re very pleased to welcome Oliver to Coventry City. He is a highly-rated goalkeeper whose progress we have followed for some time, and he will add further quality and competition to our goalkeeping group.”

Robins highlighted Dovin’s skills, adding, “He is a strong physical presence in goal, a good shot stopper, and able to distribute the ball well too. We look forward to him joining us on our return from the pre-season tour next week and working with him going forward.”

How the feck does he know that Cooper is Argyle's greatest keeper? You get a lot of this stuff across different sports now-Anderson is England's greatest ever bowler in cricket, Kane greatest England striker etc-simplistic bullshit. There have been quite a few equally good ones who have gone on to have long careers at the top level such as Hodge, Barron, Aleksic etc-Cooper has no such achievements behind him as yet and nonsensical to refer to him as the best.

Anyway, looks like an Argyle price of £4m and 10% sell on if the reports are accurate. Hopefully all of that money will be reinvested in the playing squad as the first evidence of the sell-buy-sell policy but i'm not holding my breath on that one. To me selling a major asset like Cooper is risky in itself-it seems to be mooted in some quarters that goalkeeper is a relatively easy position to find an adequate replacement but there's a difference between adequate and potentially season defining. Hazard is not in the same class as Cooper imho so obviously another keeper of higher standard needs to be signed-anyone laying a bet on a loan from a premier club?

I see plebby still a massive C#%T then

RegGreen wrote:

I see plebby still a massive C#%T then

You notice that the owner of the farm and the union man has both come out and back the club in the sale of Cooper, even before it been announced by the club.. Is the club going back to Brent time and useing this two again?

I've missed the Sycophants-in-chief praising every dogshit decision by the club to the skies. Can't wait to see them holding hallett aloft over the sale of Whittaker.

Greatest ever keeper not. As skinny says though he's a class above hazard so will be missed IF this is true. 4m for a soon to be out of contract player is decent business for a club like argyle though imo, provided a quality replacement is brought in, can't see us staying in the championship with hazard as no1.

Tgwu wrote:

RegGreen wrote:

I see plebby still a massive C#%T then

You notice that the owner of the farm and the union man has both come out and back the club in the sale of Cooper, even before it been announced by the club.. Is the club going back to Brent time and useing this two again?

Hopefully not F#%K that the pair of pricks 
They ain’t got the say they had under the shyster ..but that said hallett was on Brent’s board for two years so who knows ..but I must say they have been keeping a low profile..being  opportunist & self promoting there maybe just waiting for the right arses to lick again the ole Windsor boys

Sheffield Untied

The have just signed Harrison Burrows from Peterborough!!

Tgwu wrote:

Sheffield Untied

The have just signed Harrison Burrows from Peterborough!!

He's a defender

Did not look very happy today though he was made captain in the second half, must be the news that a back was taking his place.

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Not sure where this leaves the "we're going to produce our own, sell them for big fees and reinvest" theory.

£2million?

That's taking the piss!

Greenskin wrote:

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Not sure where this leaves the "we're going to produce our own, sell them for big fees and reinvest" theory.

Once he (publicly, given that it got into the press) refused to sign a new contract his asking price was always going to be on the low side. The fact no Premiership side came in for him suggests that he's possible not as well rated as some on here think.

The fact that he was happy to run his contract down here means there's a chance that 'sell on fee;' will never materialise. Presumably he'll only be on a 2/3 year contract with the Blades so there's easily a chance he might leave for free/minimal money when that runs out. Lets hope some of the extra £2m is appearance based rather than a sell on fee.

Also wonder who will be on the bench for Cheltenham tomorrow, with Baker off at Parkway and Cooper in Sheffield. Anyone got Larrieu's number?

FFS!

Staplewallet would be proud of that Plymouth price. If anyone did come in for MW he would go for a similar-ish amount. Anyway it's another £2m towards hallett's Brickfields vanity project.

Rooney has been given the green light to spend all the Cooper fee (and more) on a signing to shore up the defence.

So he has targeted a double swoop for Walker & Van Dyke. Unfortunately Dan is reluctant to leave the BBC and Dick wants to stay in the USA to celebrate his 100th birthday.

Grovehill wrote:

Rooney has been given the green light to spend all the Cooper fee (and more) on a signing to shore up the defence.

So he has targeted a double swoop for Walker & Van Dyke. Unfortunately Dan is reluctant to leave the BBC and Dick wants to stay in the USA to celebrate his 100th birthday.

Cor blimey Mary Poppins