Plymouth Argyle and Wigan Athletic in race to seal £0 defender deal | OneFootball

League One duo Plymouth Argyle and Wigan Athletic are in the race to sign a Scottish Championship defender on a free transfer.

Both Wigan Athletic and Plymouth Argyle will feel as though they are clubs who should be playing at a higher level than League One, but only the latter can achieve an immediate return to the Championship this season.

A play-off berth is not in Plymouth Argyle's hands and thus not guaranteed, which is why they will still be putting plans into place for League One football next season. Even if they have a Championship transfer shortlist, there will also be a League One list as well.

A growing number of EFL clubs are turning to the Scottish Championship and lower leagues of Scottish football because it represents a market rich in value and relatively low risk. Financial disparities mean talented players can often be signed for modest fees, too.

Many possess the physical and technical attributes required to adapt quickly to English football, particularly in League One and League Two. The intensity and direct nature of the Scottish game often mirrors aspects of the EFL, easing that transition.

It seems both Plymouth and Wigan are eyeing that market again this summer. Tom Cleverley will be in his second full campaign with the former but Gary Caldwell has transformed Wigan since his return. He will have excellent connections north of the border.

Tom Cleverley and Gary Caldwell eye Henry Fieldson of Scottish outfit Queen's Park

Clubs are also becoming more data-driven, identifying undervalued profiles who may have been overlooked outside of the Scottish top flight. This creates opportunities to secure players before their value spikes, with Queen's Park perhaps having one such player in their ranks.

Journalist Pete O'Rourke took to X to reveal one such player. Henry Fieldson is a 20-year-old centre-back or left-back and is out of contract this summer, which has spiked the interest of numerous teams in Scotland and England.

O'Rourke has explained Falkirk, St. Mirren, Dundee, and Dundee United are all keen. But it is Plymouth who have joined Wigan in lining up a move from the EFL. He has been with the club for two years but could depart back to English football.

Fieldson is a product of Sunderland's academy and was born and raised in North Shields, which a town in the borough of North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear.

He has scored three goals and claimed two assists in 30 Scottish Championship games this term and has seven goal involvements in 58 games for Queen's Park in total, but is now seemingly being touted for a move back down south of the border.

Gary Caldwell factor could be an advantage for Wigan Athletic over Plymouth Argyle

With tighter budgets across the EFL, particularly outside of the top end of the Championship, recruitment teams have to prioritise being efficient by finding value. Plymouth have been masters of that in recent seasons, helping them to achieve promotion in the process.

Scotland has proven to be a fertile ground for finding hungry, high-upside talent capable of delivering strong returns on investment. Caldwell will know that, too. As a former captain of Celtic in Glasgow, he may well know all about clubs in that particular city and region.

The Wigan captain, Jason Kerr, is also Scottish and ex-St. Johnstone captain. If they were to firm up interest, they may well have an advantage over Plymouth. Fieldson is from the north and is still young, meaning he may well want a place closer to home again.

That said, he may fancy a move to an SPL team after impressing in the second division of Scottish football.