Plymouth Argyle & Leyton Orient locked in transfer tussle for 23-goal EFL striker | OneFootball

Plymouth are rivalling Leyton Orient to the potential signing of Grimsby Town forward, Jaze Kabia, who hit 23 goals for the League Two side.

Plymouth Argyle and Leyton Orient are battling it out to sign Grimsby Town winger, Jaze Kabia ahead of the new EFL season getting underway next week.

BBC Sport's journalist Matt Dean confirmed Plymouth and Leyton Orient's interest in the winger, with it also being revealed that Grimsby aren't making any comment on rumoured interest in their player.

Kabia has been with Grimsby Town since 2025, having previously been on the books with Truro City. He's certainly adjusted well to the step-up in quality with Grimsby, and has been a regular for them in the fourth-tier.

The 26-year-old made 57 appearances in total for Grimsby last season in all competitions, and chipped in was their standout player, as he scored 23 goals, with 18 of those coming in League Two, including one in Grimsby's play-off semi-final.

The Mariners were narrowly edged out by Salford City in the League Two play-offs last season, and would have been looking to keep hold of their star man.

However, with rumoured interest in his services, it could be difficult for them to keep hold of him heading into the start of the 2026/27 League Two campaign.

Plymouth and Leyton Orient need a goalscorer and have targeted Jaze Kabia

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It's no secret that both Plymouth Argyle and Leyton Orient both need a goalscorer heading into the new season, as they've both sold their previous goal threats earlier in the summer transfer window.

Plymouth had Lorent Tolaj on their books for a short period, and he caught the eye with many a strong performance for Argyle, before going on to sign for Bristol City.

Whilst Leyton Orient fielded plenty of interest in Dom Ballard throughout the summer transfer window, and again, it was Bristol City that won the race to land his signature earlier this week.

It was reported that Orient received a fee in the region of £5m for Ballard, and so they won't be short of funds as they look to find a suitable replacement.

Whereas Plymouth could offer a better pathway to potentially playing in the higher divisions in the next couple of years, having shown promising signs under the management of Tom Cleverley.

Jaze Kabia will want his next move to be a progressive step

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Kabia's rise up the football pyramid has been hugely impressive, and he's a player that is more than capable of playing to a high standard in League One, which would be the highest standard he's played at.

The winger spent the early stages of his career in Ireland, before moving over to Scotland with Livingston in 2021. It's in English football where he's made a name for himself though, and not many would have predicted that he would have had such a strong first season in England with Grimsby Town.

Kabia is a versatile option to have in any squad, as he can operate out wide or as a central striker, where he's proven to be a real problem for opposition defences to handle.

The Irishman has one year remaining on his current deal with Grimsby, and will be looking to have his future resolved at the earliest of opportunities, and you'd imagine that a move higher up the EFL pyramid could be a tempting proposition for Kabia, who is in the best form of his career.

It remains to be seen as to which club is leading the race to sign the forward though, and it's important that Kabia chooses wisely, as a Plymouth seem more likely to be challenging for promotion into the Championship, whilst Leyton Orient have found it tough in the last year to build some momentum.

Grimsby are set to take on Blackpool in the EFL Cup this weekend, and it'll be interesting to see whether Kabia will be involved in the matchday squad as his future remains up in the air.