Plymouth Argyle got more out of 2017 signing than Coventry City | OneFootball

Plymouth Argyle saw the best of Ruben Lameiras, who was not as prolific during his time with Coventry City

Coventry City signed winger Ruben Lameiras during the summer of 2015, after he had impressed while on trial with the club, following his release by Premier League Tottenham Hotspur.

After signing a professional contract with Spurs back in 2014, the then youngster made 11 top-flight appearances while on loan with Swedish outfit Atvidaberg the following year.

But the wideman's efforts in the Allsvenskan were not enough to convince the North London outfit to renew his terms, hence his move to Coventry ahead of their 2015/16 League One campaign.

That third tier season was a largely successful one for the Sky Blues, but they missed out on a play-off spot by the cruel margin of five points, while Lameiras managed to produce a return of just two goals and two assists in 29 league appearances.

The following 2016/17 League One season turned out to be a painful one in the Sky Blues' history, as they suffered relegation to League Two amid difficult financial circumstances.

In fact, the West Midlands outfit finished the campaign 11 points adrift of safety, while Lameiras was unable to lead any survival efforts, as he notched just one goal and three assists in 27 third tier outings.

However, the Sky Blues faithful will always be grateful for the fact that the former Spurs man scored three goals in six EFL Trophy appearances that season, helping the club on their way to silverware.

Plymouth Argyle saw the best of Lameiras

But aside from his EFL trophy exploits, Lameiras rarely produced the goods for Coventry, and did not agree a new deal with the club following the expiration of his two-year contract in 2017.

Plymouth won automatic promotion from League Two following a triumphant 2016/17 campaign, in which they even finished level on points with champions Portsmouth.

However, ahead of the 2017/18 season, Argyle knew that in order to survive in the third tier, they were in need of signing reinforcements, and landed a deal with Lameiras following his Sky Blues exit.

After the Portuguese wideman arrived in Devon, he produced his then best ever League One return of six goals and eight assists, while the Pilgrims finished just three points below the play-off spots, having only earned promotion to the division during the previous spring.

There is no doubt that the Sky Blues must have been jealous of Lameiras' positive performances for the Pilgrims, as he had never managed more than four goal contributions during a league season with the West Midlands club.

But the best was still yet to come for the talented winger, who went on to score 11 goals and create six assists for the Devon outfit during the 2018/19 season, despite Argyle's unwanted League Two return.

The former Spurs man had therefore proven his ability to operate as a shining light for an otherwise struggling League One team, something he failed to do during his Sky Blues tenure.

While the Pilgrims faced relegation back to the fourth tier, Lameiras earned a deserved move to the Portuguese top-flight ahead of the 2019/20 campaign, as he signed for Famalicao.

As previously mentioned, the Pilgrims came to within a whisker of the 2017/18 League One play-off spots, despite only winning promotion from League Two at the end of the previous campaign.

Argyle managed to land an unlikely seventh spot in the third tier that term due to the successful management of Derek Adams, but the club then boasted a talented squad which the Home Park faithful will never forget.

Including Lameiras, the Devon side boasted plenty of attacking talent, such as playmaker Graham Carey, who notched an incredible return of 14 goals and 13 assists in League One that season.

The former Ireland international went on to ply his trade in the Europa League for Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia, epitomising the sort of quality Argyle had among their ranks.

Lameiras' eventual move to Liga Portugal similarly demonstrated the sort of talent that was on show at Home Park during the 2017/18 League One campaign, and even the 2018/19 season in which the club were relegated.

The winger's move to the top-flight of Portuguese football will likely have exacerbated any jealousy the Sky Blues felt regarding his more successful time with Plymouth.