Sheffield United deal already looks rare Plymouth Argyle transfer misstep: View | OneFootball

The goalkeeper has been an excellent addition to the Blades since joining in the summer.

Sheffield United have been fantastic in the Championship in 2024/25, after suffering a dismal relegation from the Premier League last season.

The Blades are currently second in the table, and without a two-point deduction that they were handed for defaulting on payments to fellow Championship clubs two years ago, they would be top of the league.

They are still undefeated in the second tier, and are the only team that have maintained that record through the first nine games of the campaign.

While there were questions asked about their promotion credentials heading into the season, under the guidance of Chris Wilder, Sheffield United have already started to prove, once again, that they are a force of nature at this level.

The Yorkshire-based club have a host of attacking prowess, but the signing of Michael Cooper in goal looks to have been the best decision made at Bramall Lane for a long time, but his former club Plymouth Argyle must still be regretting the fact that they let him go.

Plymouth should have held out for a higher fee

Despite staving off relegation on the final day of the 2023/24 season, it was obvious that Cooper was going to be looking for an exit from Home Park.

He was dropped for Plymouth's opening day 4-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday, with Wayne Rooney's side wanting £6 million for the goalkeeper, according to Alan Nixon. Nevertheless, his contract was set to expire at the end of the campaign, and the Blades managed to work a much cheaper deal.

The two clubs eventually agreed a £2 million fee for the 25-year-old, a price that was a lot lower than many expected considering he was one of the best shot-stoppers in the division the season prior.

While it was potentially impossible to keep hold of Cooper for 2024/25, supporters may have hoped that their club held out to force Sheffield United into paying more than the £2 million that they reportedly received.

Cooper has been incredible this season for Sheffield United

Since making the switch to the north, the 25-year-old has been simply fantastic in between the posts.

In his seven appearances for his new club, Cooper has conceded just once, keeping six clean sheets, with the only goal against him coming on his debut against Norwich City.

He tops the charts in terms of save percentage, stopping 92.3% of the shots he has faced so far, and has also prevented 1.6 goals since making his debut. He has conceded just 0.1 goals per 90, a stat that is nearly negligible, as per FotMob.

Plymouth supporters will regret that they were not able to keep hold of Cooper, and while they do have got two decent goalkeepers at the club in Conor Hazard and Daniel Grimshaw, neither come close to their former number one.

There is clear evidence that the Exeter-born shot-stopper will be a Premier League player in the future, and it is not too early to say that he could compete for a place in the England squad very soon if Sheffield United make their return to the top flight.

However, for Argyle, it is perhaps a transfer mistake that they have avoided making on several occasions in the past, mostly down to the fee that they received.