Plymouth Argyle reject bids for star men ahead of Sheffield Wednesday clash - one might not play
Plymouth Argyle have rejected bids for two of their key players in the days leading into their Championship opener at Sheffield Wednesday, with boss Wayne Rooney describing one offer as ‘a real insult’.
The Pilgrims stayed up alongside the Owls on the last day of the 2023/24 Championship season and will have designs on putting a dent in growing Wednesday optimism as the two sides resume their modern mini-rivalry on Sunday.
Much of the talk around Plymouth this summer has been on the futures of goalkeeper Michael Cooper and attacking midfielder Morgan Whittaker, both standout performers who have earned the admiration of other clubs in recent weeks. The Star understands Cooper is a primary target for Sheffield United.
Newly-installed Plymouth chief Rooney revealed bids had been launched for both players this week and that they had been knocked back. While he appeared to have no qualms over Whittaker playing, a question mark over whether or not he will pick Cooper - who has proven a thorn in the side of Wednesday in battles past - remains.
"Michael has trained today," he said. "He's available for the game Sunday, it's just whether I pick him or not. Conor Hazard has had a really good pre-season - I think the two of them have been neck and neck if you like in terms of who plays. That's a decision for me to make on which goalkeeper plays and which one is on the bench."
Rooney would not comment on where either bid had come from. Rangers are said to be among a list of clubs tracking Whittaker along with, according to reports, Wolves, Brentford, Lazio, Celta Vigo and Stuttgart. What’s clear is that he wasn’t at all impressed with the weight of the deal proposed to take him away from Home Park.
He said: "When you look at what Morgan done last season, and then you are seeing the money teams are paying for other players who didn't do half of what he done, then I think it's a real insult, to be honest, the bid we have had for Morgan.
"Morgan is really happy here. I have seen no indications that Morgan Whittaker wants to leave the club. And Michael Cooper is here. I can't be as enthusiastic as I am on Morgan, but Michael Cooper is here, he's training well and he's ready to play on Sunday. That's where we are at with the two of them."