Why QPR will love what’s happening at Sheffield Wednesday right now | OneFootball

Murphy Cooper is excelling at Sheffield Wednesday after his January loan move from QPR.

When QPR agreed to send Murphy Cooper on loan to Sheffield Wednesday in the January transfer window, it always looked like a good move for the keeper.

Despite the Owls’ struggles, they represented a step-up for the stopper, who has spent the vast majority of his short career so far out in the lower leagues.

From the National League South with Welling, to League One with Barnsley, and many more loan spells in between, Cooper has been climbing the ranks, but the jump to Wednesday was always going to be the biggest one yet for the 24-year-old.

Murphy Cooper has impressed for Sheffield Wednesday

However, the early signs suggest it could be the making of the keeper, and QPR will be enjoying what they’re seeing from the academy graduate, even if it is very early days in his time at Hillsborough.

With the Owls facing inevitable relegation, and losing most weeks, Cooper is in a position where he heads into every game knowing that he will have a lot of work to do.

Whilst he hasn’t managed to help Wednesday to a point yet, that has been down to their attack, with Henrik Pedersen having failed to score in that period.

Yet, they remain relatively competitive, and Cooper has more than played his part in that, which is backed up by his 75.9% save record over the past five games.

To put that into context, he would rank among the very best keepers in the league on that front, although it’s obviously a very small sample size compared to the other stoppers.

Another stat to highlight the impact Cooper has made is the xGA which looks at the number of goals you would have expected him to concede. Since Cooper's move, he is overperforming by 2.45 in his five games for the Yorkshire outfit, having conceded seven times.

Furthermore, Cooper passes the eye test for those that have watched his start to life at Wednesday. As mentioned, the team is struggling, but he has brought an authority between the sticks. He is a very good shot stopper, he is willing to come off his line, and he appears to communicate well with his defence.

QPR will have high hopes for Murphy Cooper

The big challenge for Cooper is to replicate this form over a longer period of time, and it will be interesting to see if he maintains these standards throughout his time with Wednesday.

If he can, it’s certain to get figures at QPR talking, as it’s fair to say the goalkeeping position has been something of an issue for the Londoners.

Paul Nardi, Ben Hamer and Joe Walsh have all featured in multiple games this season for Julien Stephan, and whilst some of that is down to injury issues, with Walsh the current number one, the reality is that none of them have truly convinced.

Therefore, it’s something QPR will have to address in the summer, and Cooper will have to come into their thinking.

The fact the R’s were willing to loan him out, effectively putting him at fourth-choice, indicated he faced a battle to have a future with QPR, particularly as he is a similar age to Walsh.

But, that’s the point of loan spells, and in many ways it’s a case of sink or swim.

Again, we must reiterate that it’s very early days for Cooper at Sheffield Wednesday, but it appears he is grabbing this opportunity with both hands.

Now, it’s about continuing to perform for the Owls, and if he does, it wouldn’t be a massive surprise if he found himself as number one for QPR in August - something that seemed highly unlikely just a matter of weeks ago.