Michael Cooper off: The 8 Plymouth Argyle players set to leave next summer if nothing changes | OneFootball

We’re coming to the point of the year when contracts are expiring, extending and being agreed, with players moving all over the country as negotiations on their futures continue.

As well as those that expire at the end of June, clubs will have one eye on next summer already, with players entering the last year of their contract potentially being cashed in on before they leave for free.

Plymouth Argyle will be no exception to this, and with eight players about to enter the final year of their current deal at Home Park, negotiations will likely already be underway for those they wish to keep on a longer-term basis.

Here we take a look at those who could be playing their last season in Devon (according to transfermarkt records) if nothing changes from here on in, with some Argyle greats entering the last year of their contract next month.

8 Michael Cooper

Academy graduate Michael Cooper is one of the most highly-rated players at the club at this moment in time, with the young goalkeeper attracting Premier League interest earlier in his career.

Not only is he one of the most agile shot-stoppers in the division, but the 24-year-old’s distribution with his feet as well as his throwing offer another dimension to the Argyle side when he is between the sticks.

Having kept 11 clean sheets out of 29 appearances on the way to the League One title in the 22/23 campaign, Cooper kept another six in his 19 matches in the Championship last season, with his presence a reassuring sight at the back.

If it hadn’t been for two major ligament injuries in the past two seasons, the glovesman could easily have been on his way already, but he is yet to play a full season since the 21/22 campaign.

Sun journalist Alan Nixon has claimed that new boss Wayne Rooney is eager to get a new deal over the line for the goalkeeper, who last signed a contract with the club back in March 2023.

7 Joe Edwards

Captain Fantastic, Mr Argyle, Joe Edwards.

The Pilgrims’ skipper is currently on course for his contract to end in the summer of 2025, but that doesn’t mean he will be leaving the club necessarily.

That’s because the right-back - whose final day goal helped Argyle maintain their Championship status for the next campaign - has an agreement in principle for him to transition into a coach at the club.

Edwards will be 34 years of age when his current deal comes to an end, so he might consider having a few more years on the pitch before hanging up his boots, with a place always available for him if he wished to return to Home Park.

Bristol Rovers are said to be interested in bringing the Argyle skipper to the club this summer, having initially taken an interest in him during the previous January transfer window.

6 Dan Scarr

The man who would head a brick back if you chucked one at him, Dan Scarr, is another Argyle fan-favourite who is entering the final year of his current deal this summer.

The former Walsall man has been an absolute rock at the heart of the Pilgrims’ backline for the past three seasons, having amassed over 100 games in green since his 2021 move.

Having been something of a regular in the two League One campaigns with the club, the 29-year-old was kept out in the cold by short-term boss Ian Foster during the previous campaign, before being recalled for the final six games of the season to help usher the side to safety.

A favourite among those on the terraces for his heart-on-sleeve performances, Scarr’s domineering displays at the back have been a regular occurrence since his arrival.

5 Mustapha Bundu

Plymouth Argyle fans would happily give Mustapha Bundu a lifetime contract at the club after his match winning goal against league champions Leicester City in the run-in last season, with that strike helping in their successful survival battle.

The Sierra Leone international arrived at the end of the last summer transfer window, signing a two-year deal with the club after he left Belgian side Anderlecht.

Used primarily as a substitute during his first full season in English football, the 27-year-old will be looking to make more of an impact in the following campaign, whether that is in the striker role or from either flank.

Three goals in 964 minutes of Championship football is a record that could be improved upon, but that strike against the Foxes will always be remembered in Devon, with the roof lifting off Home Park as he swept home.

Jordan Houghton is another player who signed a new contract last summer, with the former Chelsea man penning a two-year deal with the club after promotion to the Championship was confirmed.

With his metronomic passing keeping things ticking over when Argyle are in possession, the central midfielder has thrived since the step-up in the division, having featured in 40 matches during the league season.

The 28-year-old seems to be getting better and better with age, so there is no reason why he wouldn’t be offered another deal at Home Park before the end of the next campaign, with his mature performances often going unnoticed in the centre of the park.

3 Ben Waine

Having joined the club in January 2023 on a two-and-a-half-year deal, Ben Waine’s future will be on the line as we head into the 24/25 campaign.

The New Zealand International has failed to make much of an impact with the step-up in division, with Ryan Hardie preferred in the No.9 role for much of the previous campaign.

With just nine starts to his name, Waine mustered two goals in the second tier last season, although no one can fault his effort for the cause, with the 22-year-old leaving nothing out there every time he puts on a green shirt.

The club are said to have an option to extend his current deal by another year, should they wish to do so, but as it stands, the Kiwi will be looking for a new club next summer.

2 Julio Pleguezuelo

Argyle fans may have expected to see more of Julio Pleguezuelo during the previous campaign, after the Spaniard made the move to Home Park from Eredivisie side FC Twente.

With just 22 starts across the year, the centre-back became something of a bit-part player at the club, as he played second fiddle to Lewis Gibson, Dan Scarr, and latterly Ashley Phillips.

Having signed a two-year deal with the club, the 27-year-old is another to enter the final year of his current deal at Home Park, and will have to go about dislodging the preferred centre-back partnership if he stands any chance of extending his stay any further.

1 Zak Baker

Teenage goalkeeper Zak Baker signed his first professional contract with the club last summer, and has recently added another year onto that deal, keeping him at Home Park until the summer of 2025.

The young shot-stopper enjoyed a loan spell at Tiverton Town in the Southern League Premier Division last season, an experience that he valued greatly for his development.

He said: “When I got the opportunity to go out on loan in November, that's when the season started speeding up. I started playing games and I felt I improved the most as I was playing games and training every day.

“I will have played just shy of 30 games when the season ends for Tiverton. Getting those games in, it's just getting experience no matter what the level is. It's massive for me, especially as a goalkeeper, just getting that goalmouth experience, making saves, taking crosses, kicking well; everything I need to hopefully one day break into the first-team.”

With Michael Cooper there as an example of the pathway from academy to the first-team, Baker will be hoping to get an opportunity to shine for the Pilgrims at some point in the near-future.