1. Michael Cooper in 2024-25: Quick Overview
Michael Cooper joined Sheffield United from Plymouth Argyle in the summer of 2024, with the stopper costing a reported £2 million with add-ons included for promotion and international recognition. Cooper signed a four-year deal at Bramall Lane.
Cooper featured in 43 regular season matches and all three of the eventual unsuccessful playoff campaign. He only conceded 33 goals and kept a highly impressive 21 clean sheets.
The 25-year-old had an excellent season between the sticks, not only keeping all those clean sheets but also showing his command of the area with nearly 60 high claims and saving over 76% of the shots he faced.
- Weekly Salary: £17,500
- Annual Salary: £910,000
- Current Club: Sheffield United
- Contract Expiry: June 2028
- Reported Bonuses: None
2. Career Earnings to Date
| Club | Years | Estimated Salary |
| Plymouth Argyle | 2021-22 | £100,000 per annum |
| Plymouth Argyle | 2022-24 | £182,000 |
| Sheffield United | 2024-28 | £910,000 |
Michael Cooper came through the youth ranks at Plymouth Argyle, making his first team debut during the 2017-18 League One campaign. The Exeter-born stopper established himself as Argyle’s number one in the 2020-21 season, playing all 46 League One matches.
At this point, Cooper was on a contract reflecting the status of a young, substitute goalkeeper within the squad, earning around £1,900 per week. The following season saw his performances improve and he kept 18 clean sheets, once again featuring in all 46 games.
Cooper’s form would see a new and improved contract signed at Home Park, taking his wages to approximately £3,500 a week which equates to around £182,000 a year.
It was around this time that Cooper found himself sharing the goalkeeping responsibilities at Argyle after the club signed former Celtic keeper Conor Hazard.
His final season with the Pilgrims saw Cooper appear 19 times in the Championship, concede 24 goals and keep six shutouts.
Despite his reduced game time, Sheffield United were among a host of clubs who were chasing Cooper’s signature and were eventually successful with a bid of around £2 million plus add-ons.
Cooper immediately became the number one at Bramall Lane after signing a four-year deal worth £17,500 a week and £910,000 a year, more than five times his previous salary.
Should the keeper see out his deal with the Blades and not sign an improved deal, his current contract will be worth a little over £3.6 million to the player.
To date, Cooper’s career earnings stand at around £1.3 million.
3. Contract Details & History
Michael Cooper joined the Blades on the back of their relegation from the Premier League as Chris Wilder looked to build a squad to achieve an immediate return to the top flight.
The fee is believed to have been around £2 million with add-ons to be paid to Plymouth if United earn promotion, and if Cooper should ever achieve international honours.
Michael Cooper signed a long-term contract with the Blades that saw his weekly wage jump from £3,500 a week to £17,500 and his yearly salary rocketing from £182,000 to over £900,000,
The 25-year-old began his career with Plymouth Argyle, debuting in the 2017-18 season and going on to make over 160 appearances for the Pilgrims, keeping 55 clean sheets.
His best season, until joining the Blades, was perhaps the 2021-22 season when he appeared in all 46 League One matches and conceded only 48 goals and managed 18 clean sheets, performances that earned him a place in the League One team of the season.
Last season, on the best contract of his career to date, Cooper excelled. United are paying him £17,500 a week and their number one repaid that several times over, keeping 21 clean sheets.
4. Salary Comparison: How Michael Cooper Stacks Up
Sheffield United’s Top Earners:
The following players are the top five earners at Bramall Lane who are on permanent contracts with the club.
- Rhian Brewster – £1.82 million per annum
- Anel Ahmedhodzic – £1.56 million
- Vinicius Souza – £1.56 million
- Tom Davies – £1.56 million
- Jack Robinson – £1.3 million
At £910,000 a year, Cooper is some way short of the club’s top earners as Rhian Brewster was earning double that of his goalkeeper. Cooper’s backup Adam Davies is reportedly earning £25,000 a week, £1.3 million a year, which is over £7,000 a week more than the impressive former Plymouth man..
Comparison To Other Goalkeepers In The Division:
- Ilan Meslier – £3.1 million per annum
- Karl Darlow – £1.56 million
- James Trafford – £1.3 million
- Thomas Kaminski – £1.3 million
- Tim Krul – £1.3 million
When analysing the wages of the Championship’s five highest-earning goalkeepers from the 2024-25 campaign, it is clear to see the value for money the Blades are getting with Cooper. Leeds United are not happy with the error-prone Meslier, Kaminski suffered another relegation with Luton Town and Darlow and Krul have been understudies.
James Trafford is the only one to rival Cooper’s value for money, helping Burnley achieve promotion to the Premier League and keeping an unbelievable 29 clean sheets from 45 starts.
Kaminksi and Krul, the latter failing to make an appearance all season, suffered relegation with Luton Town while Karl Darlow played just seven Championship matches for his £1.56 million a year wage.
Across the whole of the Championship, Michael Cooper’s wage does not come close to the highest earners. Patrick Bamford of Leeds United led the way on over £3.5 million a year, followed by his teammate Junior Firpo and Cardiff City’s Aaron Ramsay. Leeds had a strong presence in the top five divisional earners, adding Daniel James and Pascal Struijk to Bamford and Firpo.
- Patrick Bamford – £3.6 million per annum
- Junior Firpo – £3.1 million
- Aaron Ramsay – £2.6 million
- Pascal Struijk – £2.6 million
- Daniel James – £2.6 million
5. FAQs About Michael Cooper’s Salary
Q: What is Michael Cooper’s weekly and annual salary?
A: Michael Cooper earns £17,500 a week and £910,000 a year.
Q: When does Michael Cooper’s current contract end?
- A:.Michael Cooper is under contract at Sheffield United until June 2028.
Q: Are there any bonuses or incentives in the contract?
- A: Any bonuses in his contract are unknown.
Q: Has Michael Cooper’s salary changed in recent years?
- A: Since signing for Sheffield United, Cooper has seen his salary change drastically, jumping from around £182,000 per year to £910,000.
Q: How does Michael Cooper’s salary compare to teammates or league rivals?
- A: Michael Cooper’s wages do not come close to those of his teammates or others who play in his position within the league. He has teammates earning up to twice as much as he does and the Championship’s top earners pick up close to four times his salary.
Q: Does his salary affect club finances?
- A: Sheffield United’s average weekly wage is said to be almost £17,500 a week and over £900,000 per year. With Cooper earning £910,000 per annum, he doesn’t have too big an impact on the Blades’ £27 million a year expenditure on wages.
