Plymouth Argyle are looking at a possible replacement for their star goalkeeper Michael Cooper, with the 24-year-old having Premier League interest.
Wayne Rooney’s side will kick off their Championship campaign against Sheffield Wednesday and are likely to be hoping for an improvement from last season, where they narrowly avoided relegation over Birmingham City, finishing a point above the Midlands side.
One of their star players from last season, Michael Cooper, played a considerable part in Argyle’s survival from relegation, keeping three clean sheets in their last six matches, where they won three and drew once.
His performances for the Pilgrims have seen him become a wanted man this summer.
With interest in Cooper being high, Argyle have sounded out Bolton Wanderers keeper Nathan Baxter as a potential replacement for the 24-year-old.
Cooper’s situation.
Cooper has been at Plymouth his whole career, having his breakthrough in the 2020/2021 League One season and has since been a crucial player.
Currently, he’s made 161 times for the Pilgrims and was a part of their 2022/2023 promotion season along with last season’s survival.
Interest in Cooper has been high, with Sheffield United and Crystal Palace both admiring the keeper, but Alan Nixon (paywall) has reported Plymouth are holding out for a fee worth over £6 million even though his deal is expiring next summer.
This valuation has put off Sheffield United, with the Blades putting in an offer close to £3 million plus add-ons, but Crystal Palace remain interested and could move in for Cooper at a later date.
How did Baxter fare last season?
Baxter joined Bolton at the start of last season on a free transfer from Chelsea, coming in as the Wanderers first choice keeper in a season that ended in Play-off defeat.
Baxter played 33 times in the league, missing a chunk of the season due to a wrist ligament injury.
The 25-year-old returned in time for the play-off, playing the last five games of the season where they finished third, losing out on automatic promotion to Derby County.
Bolton won their play-off semi-finals against Barnsley 5-4 on aggregate, with Baxter starting both matches, but the final ended in heartbreak for the Wanderers, where they lost to Oxford United 2-0, with a Josh Murphy brace winning it for Oxford.
Although it ended in heartbreak, Baxter had a strong season, keeping 14 clean sheets in 33 in the league, conceding, on average, a goal per game.
Argyle holding firm on price.
Currently, it seems as though Plymouth won’t budge on their valuation for Cooper, which opens the door to the possibility of him staying at Home Park this summer.
Cooper staying at Argyle could be good news for Bolton, who kicked off their campaign with a 2-1 win against Leyton Orient, where Nathan Baxter started and impressed, making four saves.
Bolton are likely to want to go a step further than last season and gain promotion back to the Championship, but losing Baxter could hinder their chances, with the keeper showing his worth for the Wanderers last season, having a save rate of 73% and keeping 14 clean sheets in the league whilst also missing a part of the season.