One Tottenham decision has already changed the picture at Plymouth Argyle | OneFootball

Oliver Irow may well be a bit of a gem for Plymouth Argyle on loan from Tottenham Hotspur in League One this season.

Plymouth Argyle missed out on the League One play-off places last season, but it could well be that the signing of Oliver Irow from Tottenham Hotspur is what gives them an extra edge this season.

Having been relegated from the Championship in the 2024-25 campaign and then lost manager Miron Muslic to Schalke, Tom Cleverley was given the task of rebuilding Plymouth last summer.

The former Watford boss endured a tough time of it in the first half of last season, but the Pilgrims turned things around in the second half and motored towards the top six in League One.

They eventually ran out of gas to kick themselves into the play-off places but this season, a second under Cleverley as he continues to build, has high expectations on it from Argyle supporters.

Their squad remains strong, despite the departure of Lorent Tolaj to Bristol City, and the signing of Oliver Irow is already proving to be a bit of a trump card.

Oliver Irow has started very well at Plymouth Argyle since Tottenham loan

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A week or so before the close of the summer transfer window, Oliver Irow signed on loan at Plymouth from Tottenham after a stint at Mansfield Town in the second half of last season.

Just a day after completing his move to Home Park, Irow got himself on the scoresheet as Plymouth fought from 2-0 down to 2-2 against Premier League new boys Coventry City in the second round of the EFL Cup, only for Argyle to lose 4-2.

Despite the defeat, positives were taken and one in particular was the emergence of Irow onto the Argyle scene and the 20-year-old winger has continued to thrive.

Plymouth have played four League One games since Irow joined, and they have won three of them, with those three just so happening to be the matches that Irow started.

In Argyle’s most recent outing, a 3-0 rout of Barnsley down in Devon, Irow grabbed headlines with a stunning strike inside a minute that had a power and accuracy that is rare for the third-tier.

Having shown signs of quality at Mansfield last season, Irow is already establishing himself as a key man for Tom Cleverley and if he can discover a consistent level, then he could well be a game changer in their promotion aspirations.

Oliver Irow arrival has eased on Plymouth Argyle’s strikers

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Throughout his tenure at Argyle thus far, Cleverley has liked to play with two strikers, with the partnership of Tolaj and Bim Pepple proving to be very fruitful last year, even if it didn't lead to a spot in the play-offs.

Cleverley has continued to use a 4-4-2 shape going into this season, with Irow now slotting in on the left-hand side as a winger, allowing him to cut in and produce that moment of magic against the Tykes.

A 4-4-2 with two attack-minded wingers has become the preferred system for Cleverley this season and the arrival of Irow appears to be imperative for that, with his ability allowing Cleverley and his Plymouth side to trust in it as they evolve their style to sustain a promotion push.

It also allows summer signing Will Evans, who joined from Mansfield in the summer after playing alongside Irow last year, to almost play as a second striker to the excellent Bim Pepple, who finished last season in such superb form.

Not just down to Irow but the former England U17 international is key to it, the pressure on Pepple to rediscover his form and for Evans to hit the ground running has and can be further softened by Irow, as well as Ronan Curtis on the other side, regularly contributing in the final third as they appear set to do.

Tom Cleverley will expect Plymouth Argyle to challenge this season

Having been in the bottom four and the relegation places as late as after 24 games into last season, Plymouth flicked a switch in the final few months of the campaign.

Their final 22 games of the campaign saw them collect 46 points, and they would lose just four of their final 24 matches in total as they marched to an eighth place finish, just two points behind eventual play-off semi-finalists Stevenage.

The departure of Tolaj could have been majorly disruptive but the signing of Evans and continued development of Pepple should soften the blow – and the tactical shift from Cleverley could well prove to be decisive.

Key to ensuring that the tactical shift remains effective will be the performances of Irow, who may well be set to enjoy a real breakthrough campaign in the EFL if his performances thus far are anything to go by.