Plymouth Argyle "surprised" claim made on Ibrahim Cissoko situation at Bolton Wanderers | OneFootball

Football League World's Plymouth Argyle fan pundit has discussed Ibrahim Cissoko's ever-intensifying struggles on loan at Bolton Wanderers

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Bolton Wanderers have endured an inconsistent start to the 2025/26 League One campaign, with pressure intensifying on Steven Schumacher in what represents his first full season in charge at the Toughsheet Stadium following Saturday afternoon's chastening 3-0 defeat away to lowly Burton Albion.

The defeat in Staffordshire - Bolton's second in three matches - leaves the Trotters in ninth position with just four victories from 12 encounters, having been tipped among the pre-season promotion favourites after missing out on a top-six finish last time out.

One of the key talking points among those of a Bolton persuasion at the Pirelli Stadium over the weekend was, of course, yet another underwhelming display from summer recruit Ibrahim Cissoko, who was hauled off at the interval for Marcus Forss after receiving a yellow card in a performance which typified the afternoon that played out for Schumacher's side.

Cissoko, much like a number of his teammates in recent weeks, has received no shortage of criticism and scrutiny from disgruntled supporters, with many now increasingly eager to see the season-long loan deal which took him from French side Toulouse back to English football in the summer with much anticipation, terminated once the January window opens.

The two-cap former Dutch youth international has struggled to make an impact for the Trotters, and remains without a single goal contribution from 11 appearances.

Regular league starts have been difficult to come by amid stiff competition from the likes of Thierry Gale and fellow loanee Amario Cozier-Duberry, though Cissoko has failed to pledge his case when on the pitch, with his situation marking a stark contrast from an encouraging half-season loan spell with Plymouth Argyle during the first-half of the 2024/25 season.

Cissoko enjoyed an exhilarating start to life at Home Park up until October, in which Argyle's 5-0 trouncing at the hands of eventually-relegated Cardiff City marked the beginning of the end of his Plymouth career.

It was an afternoon of nightmares for the talented winger, who was dismissed for shoving Bluebirds defender Perry Ng while also suffering a hip injury, which kept him sidelined for more than two months.

By that point, Wayne Rooney had been replaced by Miron Muslic and Cissoko would only play a further 29 minutes of football for Plymouth before his loan deal was canceled in order to facilitate a switch to Sheffield Wednesday, where he made just five appearances in a forgettable stint.

Plymouth Argyle "surprise" expressed at Ibrahim Cissoko, Bolton Wanderers situation

Football League World asked our Plymouth fan pundit, Luke Hodge, whether he is surprised to see Cissoko's struggles at Bolton after, albeit briefly, flourishing at a higher level last term.

Luke expressed his surprise at Cissoko's current situation, citing his "outstanding" and "flying" performances at the start of his time at Plymouth.

In Luke's view, Cissoko is a supremely talented and entertaining player to watch — a view which will doubtless be echoed by many other Plymouth supporters — although he pointed out that the wide-man has perhaps not yet recovered from the aforementioned disaster in the Welsh capital.

"Yeah, I am a little bit surprised that he has done as poorly as he has at Bolton," Luke told FLW.

"11 appearances, no assists, no goals, one yellow card. I thought playing under Steven Schumacher would get the best out of him, but it just hasn't happened so far.

"He was outstanding in the Championship for Argyle, he only made 13 appearances in a couple of months but he was riding the crest of a wave. He was full of confidence, the club was flying, the fans were right behind him and the team and we were playing some good attacking football.

"He was asked to play in a position that was perfect for him, out wide and simply attacking with chalk on his boots, getting the ball down and getting at defenders, beating them in one on ones, getting assists and scoring goals. He was absolutely flying.

"But the change was at the end of October when Argyle lost 5-0 to Cardiff. Not only did he get sent off for being a bit stupid and seeing red mist, but he also got a hip injury in that game which kept him out for a really long time. It required surgery and I don't think he's come back and been the same player since.

"I don't think it's just physically, mentally he also struggles a bit where he needs the mental strength to get through those tough times and get himself back on track.

"With Cissoko, he is a bit of a luxury where he can quite easily go and win you a game, but at the same time, if he's not on it then it's like playing with ten players because he's not going to offer a lot defensively.

"I am a little surprised that, with the drop of league, he hasn't started to show his ability. However, it's one of those things where it might just not happen for him.

"So I hope he finds it because there's no doubt that, when he's flying and full of confidence, he's exciting to watch and he's a great player. You pay your entrance fee to watch him when he's absolutely flying.

"But I've only seen that on a few occasions with Argyle and then it all obviously went a bit sour."

Ibrahim Cissoko looked like a shrewd signing for Bolton Wanderers

The feeling surrounding Cissoko is night and day to the anticipation and excitement which welcomed his arrival at Bolton back in August.

That, of course, was entirely understandable as, despite struggling at Sheffield Wednesday, Cissoko had occasionally lit up the Championship at Plymouth and terrorised no shortage of second-tier full-backs with his electric speed, trickery and ability to cut inside.

Luke is justified in labelling the winger as something of a "luxury player", though, and perhaps it's only once Bolton's fortunes improve that we will see Cissoko's undeniable quality shine through.

Equally, however, with his pedigree and quality, he's the type of player who Bolton ought to be relying on to aid an upturn, his performances have not been good enough considering what he's capable of and it's a deal which is already at severe risk of falling flat amid vast excitement merely a few months prior.