Where Lorent Tolaj ranks in Plymouth Argyle's most valuable players list - He's below Conor Hazard | OneFootball

Despite his seven-figure move from Port Vale this summer, Swiss forward Lorent Tolaj ranks low in the Plymouth Argyle market values

Swiss striker Lorent Tolaj completed a seven-figure switch from Port Vale to League One rivals Plymouth Argyle this summer and has started his life in Devon in fine form.

Plymouth suffered a disappointing relegation from the Championship last season, finishing in 23rd place, three points from safety, though their heavily inferior goal difference would have meant four more points would have been enough for safety.

This summer, Bosnian manager Miron Muslic was expected to remain with the Pilgrims following their relegation, but he would have his head turned by German second division outfit Schalke 04, and would leave Home Park in an unforeseen turn of events.

Following his departure, a statement from Plymouth read: "We are frustrated by this decision, having implemented clear structures, processes and personnel to aid Miron and his coaching staff as we look to return to the Championship at the earliest opportunity."

On top of that, Head of Recruitment, Jimmy Dickinson, also left the club to reunite with former Argyle manager Steven Schumacher at Bolton Wanderers, culminating in a difficult summer on the South Coast.

16 players left the club permanently this summer, with 15 coming in, including Swiss striker Tolaj from Stoke-on-Trent outfit Port Vale, for a fee believed to have been around £1.2 million following the activation of his release clause.

Tolaj was the most expensive arrival at Home Park this summer, yet despite this, Transfermarkt's valuation of the striker doesn't seem to reflect that.

Lorent Tolaj ranks beneath Conor Hazard in market value rankings

Despite Tolaj's seven-figure switch to Home Park this summer, the Swiss forward ranks beneath the likes of Conor Hazard, Matthew Sorinola and Brendan Galloway in market value, according to Transfermarkt.

Tolaj's market value of £240k is over four times less than what Plymouth reportedly paid Port Vale to bring him to Devon in the first place.

As it stands, however, Tolaj's market value is beneath each of Hazard (£780k), Sorinola (£650k), and Galloway (£260k), but that won't last for too long, you would suspect.

The 23-year-old has already scored six goals and grabbed one assist in nine games across all competitions since his move to the Pilgrims, and if he can maintain this form throughout the rest of the season, his market value will almost definitely shoot up.

Lorent Tolaj will be a key player for Tom Cleverley at Plymouth Argyle this season

Having spent five years in the youth system at Brighton and Hove Albion, Tolaj went on numerous loan moves to the likes of Cambridge United, Salford City and Dundee, but never really excelled on either occasion.

A permanent move to Aldershot Town in the National League proved that he was far too good for the fifth tier, scoring 21 times and contributing to 13 assists in 48 games across all competitions in his solitary season with the club, before moving to Port Vale in the summer of 2024.

14 goals and eight assists followed in League Two for Vale last season, and having begun the season in promising form once more in Burslem, he was on the move again this summer, this time to Plymouth.

Of the 51 goals that Plymouth scored in the Championship last season, only two of those goals, scored by two separate players (Julio Pleguezuelo and Joe Edwards), remain at the club, meaning they have essentially lost 96% of their goals from last season.

Tolaj will likely be the main option for Cleverley to spearhead the Pilgrims' attack this season, and with the club currently sitting 18th in the League One table after 11 games, his goals could prove to be pivotal this campaign.