Bolton Wanderers will be worried after Plymouth Argyle, Sheffield Wednesday showing: View | OneFootball

Nathan Baxter is said to have been earmarked as a replacement for Michael Cooper if the goalkeeper leaves Home Park

Highlights

Plymouth Argyle’s goalkeeping conundrum was on show to the watching world on the first weekend of the Championship season, as the Pilgrims went down 4-0 to Sheffield Wednesday.

Wayne Rooney’s time in charge of the Devon side couldn’t have got off to a worse start after the dismal showing at Hillsborough, with the Greens looking shell-shocked as the Owls ran riot in the campaign’s curtain-raiser.

With Michael Cooper consigned to the bench as interest from Sheffield United continues to bubble away on the sidelines, Conor Hazard deputised in goal for the visitors, and had a day to forget between the sticks in a number of ways.

While much of the footballing fanbase continues to revel in the tough luck of Rooney on the sidelines, there may have been one or two twitchy fingers at Bolton Wanderers after the trouncing, after the latest transfer update coming out of Home Park.

Nathan Baxter outlined as Plymouth Argyle, Michael Cooper replacement

According to The Sun journalist Alan Nixon, Argyle are said to be considering a move for Wanderer’s goalkeeper Nathan Baxter if Cooper does indeed leave the club in the coming weeks.

The Blades are said to have had two bids for the Pilgrim’s shot-stopper rejected this summer, with his current club putting a £6 million price tag on his head, but having been left out of Sunday’s affair, a move could well be in the pipeline.

Having come up through the ranks at Chelsea, Baxter has proven himself to be a top Football League performer in recent seasons, with a loan spell at Hull City backed up by a strong season with the Trotters after moving permanently to the League One outfit last summer.

Having kept 14 clean sheets in 33 league games last season, the 25-year-old has proven to be a safe pair of hands for Ian Evatt’s side over the past 12 months, as they came within 90 minutes of earning a return to the second tier in the previous campaign, before play-off final defeat to Oxford United.

Having excelled once again in the season-opening 2-1 victory against Leyton Orient, Argyle will have been watching keenly as Baxter made a number of top saves to keep the O’s at bay, and will no doubt have liked what they saw.

Whether he is repelling attacks or helping building ones of his own with the ball at his feet, the ex-Accrington Stanley loanee is paramount to Wanderers’ plans for the season ahead, so for Argyle to swoop before the end of August would be a bitter pill to swallow.

Nathan Baxter would fit Plymouth Argyle style of play as Michael Cooper replacement

While Cooper’s unbelievable reflexes in goal have made him a standout performer in the EFL over the past few seasons, his ability to help the side build attacks of their own is just as important for Argyle.

The academy graduate is completely at ease with the ball at his feet, while his throwing distribution can often kickstart a quick counter, which caught many a team off guard over the course of the previous campaign.

The Pilgrims were lacking that assuredness at the back in the 4-0 drubbing by Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday, with Conor Hazard [pictured] failing to live up to the lofty expectations that Cooper has set in recent seasons.

Too often a pass would go astray from the Northern Irishman, which would only go to invite further pressure from the Owls, as the Pilgrims failed to keep hold of the ball when they needed to the most.

With a player like Baxter in the side, the confidence within the backline would be restored, as Argyle can get back to their ball-playing best with the composure needed to beat the press when they are up against it.

While that was seen on the rare occasion at Hillsborough, Evatt’s sides have shown time and time again how adept they are at building from the back, and with Rooney looking to implement that style of play at Home Park, there needs to be a change in the goalkeeping department sooner rather than later.

If Cooper's omission is a sign of things to come, Wanderers should be bracing themselves for the worst in the next few weeks, with Baxter proving himself to be one of best glovesman outside of the top two tiers over the past 12 months.