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Emile Mpenza's disappointing time at Home Park is best forgotten

It was a signing that almost seemed too good to be true at the time, but after a promising start Emile Mpenza’s time at Plymouth Argyle was nothing short of disastrous.

The Belgian forward made the move to Home Park in the summer of 2008, having just been released by Premier League side Manchester City, who were in the process of becoming the behemoth they are today after Sheikh Mansour’s takeover.

There was plenty of fanfare around the signing of a former top flight ace, with Paul Sturrock said to have brought the frontman to the club on a reported £10,000 weekly wage - the highest the club have ever paid at the time.

But 12 months on, Mpenza was out the door, with little to show for his time in Devon other than a couple of goals and plenty of time on the sidelines, with the Pilgrims full of regret after splashing the cash.

Paul Sturrock finally gets his man as Emile Mpenza pursuit pays off

After returning to Plymouth Argyle for a second stint, Paul Sturrock was tasked with steadying the ship at Argyle after Ian Holloway’s departure for Leicester City.

Having originally left the Devon outfit to join Premier League Southampton, Luggy was back in town and ready to reel in some big signings for the club in the summer of 2008 after a tenth-placed finish in the Championship the season before.

With Paul Gallagher joining on loan from Blackburn Rovers, Mpenza seemed to be the final piece of the puzzle in terms of striking talent, and Sturrock was delighted to finally get a deal over the line for a player he had admired for years.

The Argyle boss said: “He is an international striker and they don't exactly fall off trees. He brings experience to the front line and gives us something different to what we have had before.

“He is a big, strong boy and he has done it, seen it and got the t-shirt. He played in the Premiership 25 times last year and we are delighted to have that kind of standard here.

“His agent came to us and we have been haggling with them for a while. When I was with Dundee United, I contemplated taking him from Mouscron when he was very young.

“I also thought about taking him to Southampton and I was really tempted when I was with Sheffield Wednesday and he was playing in Germany.

“He has got phenomenal strength and I couldn't believe we got the opportunity [to sign him], but he is here now and we are looking forward to it.'

Emile Mpenza’s Plymouth Argyle stint fails to live up to expectations

The signs should have already been there with Mpenza, with the striker only starting 17 games over his two seasons with Manchester City, but Sturrock seemed to be blinded by love by a player he had long-since admired.

Early doubts over his fitness will only have been added to as his time at Home Park progressed, with it taking two months for him to make his first start for the club, following a succession of brief substitute appearances as he got himself up to speed.

A late equaliser against Charlton Athletic did enough to keep Argyle fans’ worries at bay during the early days of his time at the club, while an outstanding performance alongside Gallagher helped assure a 2-1 victory over Cardiff City, with the Sky Sports cameras watching on.

But that was as good as it ever got for the Belgian in Devon, with just two more games in a green shirt to follow, with the last of which coming against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, before ever being seen again.

Having been such a keen admirer when he came to the club, Sturrock’s view on his frontman had drastically changed in the six months since his arrival, especially with his hefty wage packet eating into the club’s finances.

The Argyle boss said in February 2009: "We went down the road of discussing some financial terms because we can't keep waiting on him.

"Every time he gets to a semblance of standard he pulls up with something else.

"Emile and I have had a discussion about things because obviously services rendered have been very few games for the amount of money we're paying him.

"We've got to sit down and have a real think about things again. Depending on how long this is going to be we have to make sure it's right for the football club.

"It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to appreciate that he's our highest paid player. With his wages null and void it would enable me to strengthen the team.

"Emile is an issue we've got to very, very quickly sort out."

But in reality, Mpenza had no issues in lapping up his weekly wage while sitting on the sidelines, with hindsight giving us a 20/20 view of the start of the end of that iteration of Plymouth Argyle Football Club.

With the years to follow peppered by financial issues, Argyle were left to rue money spent on expensive marquee signings like Mpenza, which ultimately led to their demise into League Two, and the near-possibility of complete liquidation.

Emile Mpenza tries to sue Paul Sturrock after autobiography claim

Seven years on from his departure from Home Park, Mpenza and Sturrock were once again in the headlines, but this time for all the wrong reasons.

The former Argyle boss had claimed in his autobiography that the Belgian had missed training for the most peculiar of reasons, as he elaborates here:

"I was told in all seriousness that Emile had taken Viagra the previous night and still had an erection and wouldn't be able to take part in training.

"The excuse has gone down in the annals of urban myths but I swear it's true.

"Even by the standards of football's surreal moments, it is in a class of its own."

Mpenza’s representatives replied denying the allegations, with lawyer Laurent Dennis stating: "We have launched a claim for damages.

"Emile has been deeply shocked by this imaginary tale, which undermines his reputation and seeks to discredit him.

"Not only does the use of Viagra suggest sexual impotence but for good measure it turns out to be an illicit doping product."

Mpenza’s time at Argyle is definitely one that lives long in the memory for all the wrong reasons - whether that is on the pitch or off of it - and Argyle were left picking up the pieces after trying to hit the big time.