Plymouth Argyle told to release £1.5m 'nightmare signing' | OneFootball

FLW's Plymouth Argyle fan pundit feels that Michael Baidoo will never play for the club again, and may likely be released, too

A return to the Plymouth Argyle fold for Michael Baidoo doesn't look likely, which hammers home how much of a poor signing the 26-year-old has been.

The Ghanaian international arrived at Home Park from Swedish side Elfsborg in January 2025 for what was at the time a club record deal for the Pilgrims, who spent £1.5 million to bring him in.

But, after just four starts in 11 Championship appearances and no goals, Baidoo couldn't help Plymouth stay in the second tier, and the attacking midfielder didn't have much interest in helping his club battle to get out of League One.

A loan spell with Qatari side Umm Salal hasn't done much to raise his value, scoring just once in 14 league appearances for the side that would finish at the foot of the Qatar Stars League, and now Tom Cleverley has revealed that a second loan spell looks likely for next season, with his contract not running out until 2028.

In an ideal world, Baidoo will start to kick on elsewhere, and he could end up being sold on in 2027, but that may be an unnecessary risk to take, especially if he ends up going down with a bad injury in the meantime.

Plymouth Argyle fan pundit assesses Michael Baidoo's Pilgrims future

It's a unanimous feeling amongst Plymouth supporters that Baidoo is one of their biggest transfer flops ever, and there weren't many people surprised to hear that he may end up going back out on loan again next season.

Luke Hodge, FLW's Argyle fan pundit, doesn't think that he'll ever play for his club again.

"He was our record signing back in January 2025, but he has been a nightmare signing," he said. "We were excited at the time, but he never got going.

"He had a few Championship appearances and was poor, and then we got relegated, and we haven't seen him since. He doesn't want to play in League One, and his form has dipped massively since he was in Sweden.

"I don't think he'll play for Argyle again, but he's got two years left on his contract, so we're in a bit of a problem here."

The consensus among Plymouth fans is that Baidoo is being paid a whopping £10,000 per week, a wage that was covered completely by Umm Salal this past year.

While his form this season means that the club aren't likely to sell him this summer, if his wages can be covered by the side that lands him, it won't present much of a financial burden towards the club.

"I think the club have been trying to sell him for the past 12 months, but because of his form and the fact he's playing in the Qatari league, which isn't a great level, plus the fact he's bottom of that league with one goal, I don't think many clubs are looking for his signature," he added.

"The likelihood of us recouping any of that £1.5 million isn't likely, so we're in a situation where he's getting paid £10,000 per week, and if we keep loaning him out, then that's fine, because they'll cover his wages."

Plymouth Argyle fan pundit raises clear issue surrounding Michael Baidoo's loan move — a release may be on the cards

However, Hodge fears a situation where the 26-year-old suffers a serious injury and has to return to Argyle, where they'd be responsible for paying either a percentage of, or all of his lofty wages.

That could be a real issue financially, and one that the Pilgrims really don't need, especially given that they are already expected to lose £10.6 million in 2026, per Paul Berne in the most recent Argyle fans forum.

"If he were to pick up a serious injury, then he'd return to us, and we'd be liable to pay him around that £10,000 per week," the fan pundit said.

"So there's the potential for us to pay him £1 million — the two years of his contract — if he gets injured. It's a massive risk for someone who won't be playing for Argyle again.

"In my opinion, there's a good chance to potentially release him for free and see if any club wants to take him off our hands."

Indeed, while Plymouth would need to pay a fee to buy out Baidoo's contract, Hodge feels that the risk of keeping sending him out on loan with no guarantee that he wouldn't just leave for nothing in 2028 anyway isn't great enough to combat that buyout.

And while no one wants their one-record signing to be released after just 13 games for the club in all competitions, it might just be best to draw a line under the Ghanaian's time at Home Park and look to move ahead.

"I don't blame anyone [for the signing]. Some work out, some don't," he concluded.

"We signed Morgan Whittaker and got £7.5 million for him, and he was outstanding for us. Some you win, some you lose, and this one is a certain loss."