'A goalkeeper I like' - Plymouth Argyle head coach's admission over Sheffield Wednesday-linked Murphy Cooper
Plymouth Argyle’s head coach has been asked about a Sheffield Wednesday-linked goalkeeper
Plymouth Argyle head coach Tom Cleverley has conceded Sheffield Wednesday-linked goalkeeper Murphy Cooper is a player he likes.
Cooper, who is under contract at Queens Park Rangers, spent the first half of last season on loan at Barnsley. He then made a switch to Wednesday, making eight appearances for the Owls before succumbing to an injury.
The 24-year-old impressed in challenging circumstances at Hillsborough and has been linked with a return to South Yorkshire. However, he has also been reported as a target for Wednesday’s new League One rivals Plymouth.
Plymouth Argyle boss on Murphy Cooper
Pilgrims boss Tom Cleverley was asked about Cooper at the weekend and remained coy, but admitted his respect for the stopper.
He told the Plymouth Herald: “Murphy is a goalkeeper I like, I respect a lot, but for as long as he's not our player and he's contracted to someone else I won't speak in too much detail.
“In this division that we are in, your goalkeeper, your centre-back and your nine are your three most important positions. They are the three most recruited positions this window. A goalkeeper is clearly a priority.”
Murphy Cooper’s love for Sheffield Wednesday
Not only did Cooper impress in Wednesday colours, he revealed he would be open to a return to a club he had grown fond of.
In April, he told The Star: “Obviously, I'm a QPR player on loan at Sheffield Wednesday. I think my standpoint is that I absolutely love the club. I have only played seven games here and I have loved it. So I would be 100 per cent open to coming back - and that's something I could definitely want to happen.
“But I think it's difficult in my position. There might be a decision out of my hands. Obviously, I love QPR, I've been there for 15 years now, so it would be difficult to leave there. But if that decision was made, that I wasn't part of their future, then I'd be looking here straight away.”
Sheffield Wednesday’s goalkeeping department
Wednesday signed the experienced Joe Lumley from Bristol City at the weekend, handing the 31-year-old a two-year deal.
However, with the inexperienced Logan Stretch his only competitor, another addition to the goalkeeping department hardly appears unlikely.
Pierce Charles has left for Premier League giants Manchester City - and is now Cooper’s teammate after being loaned to Queens Park Rangers.