Ryan Hardie back to Plymouth Argyle? It can ease Lorent Tolaj exit fear | OneFootball

Plymouth Argyle should look to bring Ryan Hardie back to Home Park to allay any sadness about a Lorent Tolaj departure

The destination of Lorent Tolaj this summer will likely be one of the main stories of the transfer window across the EFL.

After moving from Port Vale to Plymouth Argyle towards the end of the summer window, when the Pilgrims activated his £1.2 million release clause, he has taken the third tier by storm. He picked up 17 goals and eight assists in just 29 league games for Argyle, leaving his League One total for the season at 18 and eight in 33 games.

The Swissman has bounced up the divisions rapidly, and after one season in the National League with Aldershot and one season in League Two with Vale, many are tipping his time in League One with Argyle to only last a single season, too.

Numerous Championship sides have been credited with interest in Tolaj as the season wound down.

The likes of Stoke City, Preston North End, Derby County, Sheffield United, Preston and Millwall have all shown a liking towards him, but the cards are all in Plymouth's hands, as the 24-year-old is under contract until 2029 and doesn't have a release clause within it.

If a sizeable fee comes in, though, the Pilgrims may have no choice but to accept it, which would prove a big blow to their promotion credentials in League One next season.

A Plymouth Argyle, Ryan Hardie reunion would quell any worries about replacing Lorent Tolaj

Tolaj is a clear fan favourite at Home Park. He was the only person at the club who was playing with purpose while they slummed it down at the bottom of the division, and continued to score freely when fit during their late play-off surge in the second half of the campaign.

Losing him would be a big blow, but if Plymouth do let go of one fan favourite, orchestrating the return of another wouldn't be a bad replacement.

Indeed, Ryan Hardie's time at Wrexham looks to be coming to an end, less than a year on from his £700,000 switch from Plymouth as the two sides passed each other on the way to their respective divisions last summer.

The 29-year-old had established himself as a proven goalscorer in the Championship in his two years in the second-tier with Argyle, netting 22 times in 77 games, and was made the first signing at the Stok Cae Ras in the summer.

But his position in the pecking order was knocked back significantly in the following months when the likes of Kieffer Moore and Josh Windass arrived, and Sam Smith was preferred as the third choice as the season went on.

It was a real shame to see, and that feeling was felt the most at Plymouth. Alongside those Championship goals, Hardie was a big part of the club's rise to the second tier, initially joining the club on loan from Blackpool while they were in League Two in 2020.

Across his five and a half years at Home Park, he made just shy of 250 appearances, netting double digits in his final four seasons at the club and scoring from the spot in a famous FA Cup win last season against Liverpool.

No one at Plymouth held it against Hardie for wanting to continue his Championship journey this season, but that looks to have derailed, and it may be time to welcome him home.

Ryan Hardie showed his goalscoring prowess in limited time at Huddersfield Town — That can be exhibited further at Plymouth Argyle

After just 10 appearances in all competitions for Wrexham, Hardie went down with a knee injury in mid-December. Nevertheless, he was still a wanted man on loan in the January transfer window, and play-off chasing Huddersfield Town secured his short-term services.

Unfortunately, he only managed six games at the Accu Stadium before injury ended his campaign in March. In those six games, though, he managed to score a couple of goals.

That reaffirms that he is still a good goal-getter in the third tier, and if Tolaj were to leave Plymouth this summer, a return for Hardie wouldn't just be done out of sentiment, but it would be to replace their talisman.

If Plymouth can keep Hardie fit, which wasn't an issue for them during his previous time at the club, then the 29-year-old could easily score 15 goals or more for Tom Cleverley's side as they look to go one better than last season and finish in the top six at least.

Losing Tolaj would be a blow; there's no hiding that. But if Plymouth can recoup a healthy fee for him, which they stand in good stead to do, and then replace him with a returning Hardie, perhaps it wouldn't be too disastrous a situation.