Michael Baidoo signs: What Plymouth Argyle’s perfect January transfer window looks like
After a difficult start to his tenure at Home Park, Wayne Rooney is keeping Plymouth Argyle in the Championship.
In order to stay in the bottom half of the second-tier standings, the Greens have won several crucial games in front of their own supporters after needing five games to secure their first league victory of the season.
Joe Edwards, Ibrahim Cissoko, and Muhammad Tijani have all been out until the new year, and defender Lewis Gibson has also had to miss time due to injury, making the Devon team’s recent injury streak unlucky.
We look at an ideal situation for those at Home Park in two months. As the January transfer window draws nearer every day, speculation is already beginning to swirl about the transfer business Rooney would like to see when 2025 arrives.
Michael Baidoo finally joins from Elfsborg
Elfsborg was unwilling to let their creative spark go before their upcoming Europa League campaign, despite Argyle’s best efforts to close a trade for Michael Baidoo this summer.
There was every expectation that the Ghanaian would be joining the EFL after he reportedly submitted a bid that would have broken the club’s record of £1 million. The player even wrote a letter to the club’s management to try to pressure them into the transfer.
Nothing happened, but after four months, things might have changed, and the Swedish team’s chances of competing in Europe are now in jeopardy as 2025 approaches.
| Plymouth Argyle summer 2024 transfers (Transfermarkt) | |
|---|---|
| Player | Former Club |
| Rami Al Hajj | Odense BK |
| Daniel Grimshaw | Blackpool |
| Kornel Szucs | Kecskemet |
| Victor Palsson | KAS Eupen |
| Nathanael Ogbeta | Swansea City |
| Ibrahim Cissoko | Toulouse FC (loan) |
| Michael Obafemi | Burnley (loan) |
| Muhamed Tijani | Slavia Prague (loan) |
| Darko Gyabi | Leeds United (loan) |
After scoring goals against Galatasaray and Roma in October, the 25-year-old’s talent is evident to everyone. If Argyle can close a deal, they could have the creative spark they’ve been lacking this season, which would be a huge boost for the rest of the campaign.
Morgan Whittaker stays at Plymouth Argyle
Morgan Whittaker is without a doubt the most valuable commodity that Argyle has at their disposal at the moment, even though he may not have reached the heights of the previous campaign thus far this season.
He has continued to make an impression, albeit on a lower scale than at this time last year, as the Greens reportedly rejected offers from Burnley and Rangers to keep their attacker at the club for the start of the season and held out for £10 million for him in the summer.
The former Swansea City player has scored some crucial goals to earn his team points this season, including equalisers against Queens Park Rangers and Preston North End that saved draws and a late winner against Blackburn Rovers back in October. Crystal Palace, Southampton made Plymouth Argyle look foolish due to player treatment Jason Puncheon was never given the opportunity to reach his full potential while he was at Home Park. It is unclear if interest will return for the 23-year-old, but his inclusion in the squad for the rest of the season could make all the difference in the battle at the bottom of the division this season.
No clubs bid for Ibrahim Cissoko
Ibrahim Cissoko, who signed on loan from Toulouse FC in the summer, has already made an impression during his time in green, despite the fact that he is reportedly out until 2025 due to a hip injury.
His erratic play on the flanks has left many Championship defenders red-faced throughout the season, but his three goals so far this season have already earned him a fan favourite at Home Park.
Director of football Neil Dewsnip confirmed the deal with the Ligue 1 team early in the season, so the only problem the Pilgrims could have with the Dutchman in January is if another team bids to sign him permanently.
Even though Argyle has the first option on the 21-year-old should another team make an offer this winter, their money can only go so far, and they risk losing one of their starting for the second half of the season if they can’t match that offer.
Andre Gray signs for the remainder of the season
Although it is uncommon for Argyle to have a player of this calibre on their roster, Andre Grey is a player who, with the correct assistance, can score goals with ease.
The former Watford player scored his first goal in green during last month’s 3–3 draw with Preston, but because striker Tijani was laid off for four months, he only signed a short-term contract at Home Park through the end of the year.
Going forward, the Greens would benefit greatly from keeping Grey to compete for a starting spot alongside Ryan Hardie and Michael Obafemi. The competition for spots and strong squad depth is something the south west team has lacked recently.
