Bim Pepple transfer truth revealed amid Portsmouth links to Plymouth Argyle star | OneFootball

Plymouth Argyle face some much-needed transfer relief as Portsmouth aren't upping their interest in Bim Pepple

Plymouth Argyle faced a transfer nightmare towards the back end of last week, as their dynamic attacking duo looked set for Championship moves.

There was almost an inevitability that the Pilgrims would be starting their second season back in League One without at least one of their leading frontmen, who helped Tom Cleverley's side score the third-most goals in the division last year.

Between them, Lorent Tolaj and Bim Pepple scored 34 times in league action, contributing to 33 of Plymouth's 75 team goals, as one of Tolaj's came while he was at Port Vale in the infancy of the campaign.

Pepple's rise to prominence came while his strike partner was out injured in the opening months of 2026, but when the two shared the pitch towards the end of the season, they combined well, leading some optimistic Argyle fans to hope to see the duo together next season.

But Tolaj looks to be moving on, with a £4 million move to Bristol City set to be completed in the coming days.

Things looked to be going from bad to worse, too, when it was reported shortly after the Robins' interest that Pepple could be on his way to the Championship, too, with Portsmouth set to "step up their interest," according to Darren Witcoop.

Portsmouth not interested in pursuing Bim Pepple this summer

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However, the fears of losing both Tolaj and Pepple early on this summer have been quelled by Neil Allen of the News, who stated on X that there is nothing in the reports linking the Canadian frontman to Fratton Park.

The Pompey journalist says that, while interest in Pepple was there on the south coast earlier in the summer, John Mousinho's side have since moved on to other targets, such as Marko Milovanovic, who is set to arrive from Almeria for €6 million.

While there's still time for another club to swoop in and try to take the 23-year-old away from Home Park, Plymouth can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that both their frontmen won't be moving to the Championship at around the same time.

Pepple had only made three league starts before 2026, with a couple of goals from the bench and an injury initially to Owen Oseni opening up the door for some more league starts in the second half of the campaign, which he more than took advantage of.

With 16 goals in just 23 starts, there's plenty of excitement to see what the Canadian can do in his second season at Home Park. Losing Tolaj would be a blow, but if Pepple can continue his vein of form without the Swissman as he did in parts of last season, it would soften that blow significantly.

Therefore, losing both of them would be terrible. Luckily enough, it seems only one of them will be leaving in the coming days.

How Tom Cleverley feels about Bim Pepple amidst transfer talk

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Plymouth boss Tom Cleverley outlined how important he feels Pepple is to Argyle currently, especially following the news that Tolaj is set to depart for the Championship soon.

Cleverley found joy in a 4-4-2 system in the second half of last season, in which the Pilgrims shot up the League One table with a record that would have had them in the race for automatic promotion from December to May.

Therefore, ensuring there's strength in the frontline is paramount at Home Park, and after losing one of those strong strikers, the Argyle head coach doesn't want to lose another one.

"His rise has been incredible, post-Christmas," he told Plymouth Live. "He's a very, very important player for us. He's adored here by players, staff and supporters.

"The player deserves a lot of credit for where he has got to now. He's a big part of it. When you are playing 4-4-2, you want the best strikers, you want four if possible.

"I wouldn't want to be losing another one any time soon. Individuals are not going to bring this club success; it will be the group, but we want Bim to stay for sure."

It is a team game, but if Pepple can continue scoring at the rate he was last season, he'll be a big part in getting Plymouth into promotion contention in 2026/27.