Michael Cooper's wages at Sheffield United compared to the best paid Plymouth Argyle players | OneFootball

FLW takes a look at Cooper's Sheffield United contract, and compares it with some of Argyle's top earners...

Sheffield United signed goalkeeper Michael Cooper from Plymouth Argyle in the summer transfer window, and he's been one of Chris Wilder's standout players this term.

The 25-year-old was brought to Bramall Lane in a deal worth a reported £2m initially, with the potential for it to rise to £4m with add-ons.

Cooper has been establishing himself as arguably the best goalkeeper in the Championship since becoming a Blades player, and is looking like a fantastic piece of shrewd business by the club.

But did his transfer to Sheffield United come with a significant wage hike? How does it compare to what Plymouth Argyle's top earners are making at Home Park?

Using figures from Capology - which must be stressed are an estimate - Football League World investigates...

How has Michael Cooper's wage packet changed since leaving Plymouth Argyle to sign for Sheffield United?

Signing for a new club often comes with the bonus of seeing your wages increased, but was that the case with Cooper and his switch from Plymouth Argyle to Sheffield United?

As per Capology, the former Pilgrims goalkeeper was earning a weekly wage of £1,923 during the 2021/22 season, before he put pen to paper on a two-year contract extension with the club in March 2023.

That saw his wages increase to £3,500 per week for the remainder of the 2022/23 campaign, as well as remaining the same for the 2023/24 season.

Signing for the Blades in the summer, Cooper was indeed rewarded with a boost to his weekly earnings according to Capology, and a rather significant one too.

Cooper is reported to be earning a weekly wage of £17,500 at Bramall Lane, which works out at a cool £14,000 per week more than what he was earning at Home Park.

How does Michael Cooper's Sheffield United wage compare with Plymouth Argyle's top earners such as Bali Mumba and Andre Gray?

Plymouth are in their second season back in the Championship this season, after spending multiple years in League's One and Two in recent times.

That means that Argyle operate on a tight budget when it comes to how they spend their money, but how does Cooper's Sheffield United contract compare with what they are understood to be paying some of their star assets?

The Plymouth players on the lowest weekly wage packet as per Capology are Will Jenkins-Davies and Caleb Roberts, who are both listed as earning £1,000 per week.

In the mid-range of Argyle's earners are the likes of Darko Gyabi (£5,000 pw), Lewis Gibson (£6,500 pw) and Morgan Whittaker (£7,500 pw).

Moving on to the very top earners at the club, Michael Obafemi, Bali Mumba and Adam Forshaw are all listed by Capology as being Argyle's highest paid players this season, earning weekly wages of £15,000.

That would mean that Cooper, had he signed the contract that he took from Sheffield United to remain at Plymouth Argyle instead, would be the club's highest earning player this season.

As such, that would appear to go some way to explaining why the Pilgrims couldn't keep hold of Cooper, but seeing numerous players potentially earning £15,000 per week, it may not have been a case of Argyle being unable to financially compete with United.

Wilder's side look well-equipped to achieve Premier League promotion this season, and the chance to become the starting goalkeeper in a team of that calibre was always going to be difficult for Plymouth to do much about in regard to retaining his services.