Plymouth Argyle backed to sign Everton player - 'I fully endorse the move' | OneFootball

FLW's Plymouth Argyle Fan Pundit Luke has given his thoughts on a potential move for Everton defender Reece Welch.

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, potential signings and more...

Plymouth Argyle are interested in a loan move for Everton centre-back Reece Welch.

The Pilgrims sit 16th in League One after an extremely underwhelming start to the campaign under Tom Cleverley.

Only Doncaster Rovers (41) have conceded more than the 39 goals that Plymouth have shipped this term, and Football Insider reports that Argyle are looking to beat Sheffield Wednesday to young Welch's signature.

FLW's Argyle Fan Pundit, Luke Hodge, outlined that he would "fully endorse the move," as Argyle look to turn their season around.

"I fully endorse the move" - Plymouth claim made on Reece Welch interest

"It wasn't a position I initially thought we were in desperate need of," said Luke when asked for his thoughts on the interest in the 22-year-old.

"But when you look at it more closely, Julio Pleguezuero hasn't been properly fit since returning from his knee injury, so there's a chance he could still be struggling.

"Alex Mitchell has been superb, but he's obviously only here on loan. Kornen Szucs hasn't featured much recently, and there are rumours he could leave during this window, which really leaves us with Mathias Ross, who has been partnering Mitchell, and Brendan Galloway, who has been filling in at left-back."

Though Luke would express some concern regarding the need for experience at Home Park.

"I don't know a great deal about him (Welch). I can understand the thinking if he's available as a promising young player, but you do wonder whether a youngster is what we need at centre-back. You might feel an experienced head would be more suitable," Luke told FLW.

Welch returned to Everton in December 2024 after a loan spell at Belgian outfit Deinze was cut short, as the club ceased operations following their declaration of bankruptcy. He has since made 14 Premier League 2 appearances for the Toffees.

Luke acknowledged the importance of the ongoing transfer window, with Argyle looking to reset after an opening half of the season to forget.

"After such a poor previous window, you'd hope the club have done their due diligence, identified the right targets, and can be successful this time. Ultimately, if the club believe he's what we need, and he's happy to come in, then I fully endorse the move," concluded Luke.

January window provides a reset opportunity for Plymouth

After suffering relegation to the third tier at the end of last season, Plymouth entered the current campaign as one of the sides looking for an instant return to the Championship.

Even with their recent turnaround in mind, Argyle have fallen well short of expectations, with Tom Cleverley's side sitting 16th in the division.

Although they have lost just once in their last seven League One outings, this has allowed the January window to feel slightly more hopeful than originally envisaged.

The Pilgrims sit nine points away from the play-off places, and while a run to those spots would be ambitious, stranger things have happened across the EFL.

Only 23rd-placed Doncaster have conceded more than Plymouth - bringing in defensive bodies would go a long way to begin correcting this.

With three weeks of the window remaining, Plymouth have been given a chance to reset - aided by their recent run of form. And for a club with ambitions higher than that of the mid-table region of the third tier, they must take the chance.