Plymouth Argyle star drops transfer claim after Norwich City and Portsmouth links | OneFootball

Bim Pepple has broken the silence on the reports linking him with a move away from Home Park this past summer

Plymouth Argyle striker Bim Pepple said his full focus was on his situation at Home Park, despite plenty of transfer links to Championship clubs this past summer.

The Canadian frontman enjoyed a breakthrough campaign at Plymouth last season, with most of his output coming in the latter half of the year, as Argyle surged from relegation candidates to play-off outsiders.

Of the 18 goals Pepple scored in all competitions throughout his debut season in Devon, 15 of them came in this calendar year. His start on New Year's Day against Stevenage was just his fourth of the League One campaign.

There hasn't been a faster-rising star in 2026 than the 23-year-old, and understandably, there was plenty of reported interest from Championship clubs in Pepple over the summer.

Bim Pepple reponds to summer interest from Championship clubs

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Ultimately, with Lorent Tolaj departing Plymouth this summer for Bristol City in a deal worth a reported £4 million, it was always going to be difficult for Championship sides to prise his strike partner away from the Devon club, too.

Norwich City, Portsmouth, Watford and Lincoln City were all in talks over a move for Pepple, but nothing materialised, with reports stating he has a seven-figure release clause in his contract.

Luckily for Tom Cleverley, the 23-year-old wasn't too interested in forcing a move away this summer, telling the press ahead of their recent 1-0 home loss against Burton Albion that his full focus was on his current situation at Plymouth.

"I kind of just took it like a compliment," he said, per Plymouth Live. "It just means I was doing something well. If you had told me when I signed last year I would be linked to Championship teams or whatever, I would have been very surprised and maybe not even believed you.

"There is always going to be interest if you are scoring goals, but [I'm] just focused on giving my 100 per cent to this club."

Pepple admitted that his teammates were surprised at times to see him at training throughout pre-season, but the Canadian, who stays off X and other social platforms, didn't notice the transfer buzz as much as they did.

"I'm not actually on Twitter or anything so a lot of it I don't hear," he continued. "Obviously, my agent might say there are bits and pieces, but a lot of it I had no clue. I would just come in to training, and people were like, 'Oh, you are still here'. For me, it wasn't really affecting me too much because I just focused on myself. I'm enjoying my football.

"When the (transfer) window shuts, it probably makes it easier for people around me, I guess, but for me it was just still the same old trying to get three points on the weekend and trying to score goals, so it wasn't actually too difficult to deal with."

Plymouth Argyle will have been delighted to keep Bim Pepple at Home Park past the transfer deadline

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Tolaj's departure would have been softened significantly with the knowledge that Pepple was going to stay.

While the Swissman made a real impact at Home Park, it was actually the period when he was out injured, and Pepple led the line, which coincided with their best form of the season, albeit that continued when the new Bristol City man made his return.

Nevertheless, there was some confidence that the 23-year-old could step up and be the main talisman as Plymouth looked to go at least one better than last season and finish in the top six, or potentially push for automatic promotion.

While Tom Cleverley's side missed out on the chance to go top with a win on Saturday, Pepple has been a handful for defenders up front and has recently started to find his form in front of goal. His three league strikes this season all came consecutively in the games before Burton.

Those League One goals have added to a couple in all competitions, increasing his output to five in 11 games this season. He may not be scoring at the alarming rate he was in the second half of last term, but he's begun his second campaign in Argyle colours impressively.

Plymouth Argyle should be wary of more Championship interest in Bim Pepple in January

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Unfortunately, if Pepple continues to score at almost a goal every other game between now and January, there'll no doubt be that interest in him returning.

The 23-year-old is a powerhouse up front; one of the strongest strikers in the EFL and is therefore a good option to hold the ball up, while also having the goalscoring prowess, too. With the potential to improve, it's understandable why second-tier sides showed interest in the summer.

If he continues to impress in front of goal and improve his overall game, Championship sides will be knocking on Tom Cleverley's door to test their resolve in the January transfer window.

From Plymouth's perspective, they'll hope they're in and around the automatic promotion race by then. If so, they may be able to persuade Pepple to stay put at Home Park, with the possibility of making that jump to the second tier with them.