Exclusive: Sky pundit reacts to Plymouth Argyle transfer - 'absolutely unbelievable signing' claim made | OneFootball

Lorent Tolaj has made a serious impression in the opening weeks of his Plymouth Argyle spell

Sky Sports pundit and EFL expert Lee Hendrie has praised Plymouth Argyle for seemingly striking transfer gold with the summer capture of in-form centre-forward, Lorent Tolaj.

It's been an extremely inconsistent start to the season as a collective for the Pilgrims, who would have been expected to be in and among the cluster of sides fighting for promotion out of League One when taking their recent pedigree into account.

The club won the title at this level just three seasons ago, and after two extremely chaotic seasons of Championship football, Tom Cleverley was instilled as the latest man in the Home Park hotseat following his rather harsh dismissal at former club, Watford.

Naturally with a side that had just suffered relegation, the ex-Manchester United midfielder oversaw a major squad overhaul during his first transfer window and pre-season in charge of the Greens, with as many as 15 new signings coming through the door whilst 20 players departed the club between the off-season and the transfer deadline back on September 1st.

Such outgoings included Ryan Hardie, who netted 74 times in 248 appearances for the club, before making a well-documented move to Wrexham ahead of the Red Dragons' first second tier campaign since 1982.

As such, Cleverley and his recruitment staff were tasked with finding an adequate replacement for the Scotsman, and it's fair to say that they've certainly achieved such feats after triggering a £1.2m release clause in Tolaj's contract with newly-promoted Port Vale.

The Switzerland-born striker has endured a mixed career path to-date, with his current upward-looking trajectory beginning at Aldershot Town following his release from Brighton and Hove Albion.

Indeed, the former youth international scored 21 times and posted a further 13 assists in just 48 appearances for the Shots, with such form catching the eye of Darren Moore at Vale Park last summer.

Full of confidence, Tolaj was integral to the Valiants' immediate bounce back from League Two into the third tier with 14 goals and eight assists in 37 league appearances, before opening his League One account with his final goal for the club against Stevenage back in August.

Yet whilst some players can be forgiven for making a solid, if not spectacular, start in a new environment, a move to Devon has left the all-round forward unfazed, already racking up six goal contributions in his first eight appearances for Cleverley's men, including braces against Burton Albion and in the EFL Trophy against Cheltenham Town.

As such, Hendrie has sung Tolaj's praises, as well as those who made the deal happen when speaking exclusively to Football League World.

"He's got off to an absolute flyer at Plymouth," the pundit stated. "Four goals (already) this season.

"Centre-forwards are hard to come by, and when you feel it's the right fit, the right blend - and that's what seems to be the case here - he's really got out the traps and got going this season," Hendrie explained.

"Five goals in eight games is a good turnover. So, a super start for him. If he continues that form, it could be an absolutely unbelievable signing.

"We do get these signings where little gems that seem to come apart, and all of a sudden you feel like you're onto one. It does feel like they are at the moment with how he's performed and his goal return," he added.

Despite their mixed fortunes in recent seasons, Argyle supporters have become accustomed to seeing the Home Park hierarchy pull off some major transfer masterstrokes, and the early signs are that Tolaj will be the latest on this front.

Two obvious examples which spring to mind are the permanent captures of Bali Mumba and current Middlesbrough winger Morgan Whittaker, who had previously shone on loan during the club's League One title-winning season, with the latter going on to make the club a fair profit on their initial then-club-record capture.

Despite his side's inconsistent start to the season, Tolaj will undoubtedly have a major say on Plymouth's fortunes alongside fellow summer recruit Owen Oseni, who has scored the most goals per 90 minutes thus far.