Sheffield United face Michael Cooper exit threat - He could make Blades millions though | OneFootball

Cooper is bound to draw interest after such an impressive season, if United sell, they could make a huge profit.

Sheffield United’s season ended in heartbreak when they were defeated by Sunderland in the Championship play-off final recently.

Tom Watson’s stoppage-time winner sank the Blades and consigned them to another year of second tier football.

Chris Wilder’s side had been battling Leeds United and Burnley for automatic promotion for the majority of the campaign, but must now wait at least another year before they can return to the Premier League.

That could have a knock-on effect for several of their key players. Both Gustavo Hamer and Vini Souza have already been linked with top-flight moves, and there are other players in the squad who United may struggle to keep without being able to offer Premier League football next term.

Michael Cooper has been excellent for Sheffield United

One of those players is likely to be Michael Cooper, who has been a revelation since moving to Bramall Lane.

The Exeter-born shot stopper swapped Plymouth Argyle for Sheffield United last summer, and the £2m fee that the Blades parted with has been made to look like a bargain ever since.

The 25-year-old had less than 20 games of Championship experience before he made that switch last summer, but he has quickly established himself as one of the league’s standout ‘keepers, despite the fact that he is surrounded by some very strong company.

James Trafford is widely tipped to potentially have a future career with England, while the likes of Anthony Patterson and James Beadle are also highly rated.

Alex Palmer had also been outstanding for West Brom before his move to Ipswich, as was Viktor Johansson at Stoke.

Regardless of the strong level of competition, Cooper ranks very highly compared to the other Championship ‘keepers in almost every metric.

Only Trafford, who was a key part of Burnley’s remarkable defensive effort, can boast more clean sheets than Cooper last season, and the Blades’ number one also ranks among the top three in the division for both save percentage and goals conceded per 90.

His string of superb displays saw Cooper become one of Wilder’s key players over the course of the season, and he will undoubtedly have won them countless points throughout the campaign.

Sheffield United would surely make a big profit on Cooper

Sheffield United will surely do everything in their power to keep Cooper at the club for the foreseeable future, however, with his growing reputation, that could prove to be easier said than done.

His performances have been so strong this season that top-flight sides are bound to have taken notice. The Premier League’s rules on homegrown players mean that having a capable English number one can be a huge help for bosses and recruitment teams at the level, and that will only make the former Plymouth man an even more attractive proposition.

The newly-promoted duo of Leeds and Burnley may even take an interest. Daniel Farke has finally decided to replace Illan Meslier, but would surely like to bring in a younger option than Karl Darlow for their Premier League return.

The Clarets could also find themselves looking for a replacement if James Trafford secures a move to one of the bigger clubs.

The Blades’ £2m deal for Cooper was perceived to be a bargain by many at the time and, although the Pilgrims hold clauses which could see the fee rise as high as £4m, with the way that he has performed, that still represents a very reasonable fee from United’s perspective.

If the Sheffield outfit were to cash in on the glovesman this summer, they would likely be able to treble that fee, at least. With the current state of the transfer market, it’s fair to say that the Blades would surely be able to hold out for a minimum of £10-15m, considering the way he has developed this season.

They would certainly rather keep him at the club, but if they could secure that kind of money for Cooper, it would cap off what has been a brilliant piece of transfer business and provide them with ample funds to go out and source a high-quality replacement.