Plymouth Argyle will hope they don’t regret response to Notts County snub | OneFootball

The Greens failed to make any late additions to their forward line, and could be left paying the price

Heading into the January transfer window, there would have been plenty of hope from Plymouth Argyle supporters that their side would sign a striker capable of scoring the goals to lift them out of the relegation zone.

The Greens are one of the lowest scorers in the division so far this season, with a lack of cutting edge costing them dear in their battle against the drop, and the loss of Andre Gray at the turn of the year leaving them with even less options in the final third.

From the rumours coming out of Home Park, it looked as if Miron Muslic had set his stall out to add extra firepower during the previous month, with The Guardian reporting that a £750,000 bid for Notts County striker Alassana Jatta had been turned down.

A late move for Hull City forward Mason Burstow was also reportedly turned away, and there will be plenty among the Green Army who hope the failure to get either deal over the line won’t come back to haunt them later in the campaign.

Plymouth Argyle fail in late move for additional striker

Having had their initial bid for Jatta turned down, Argyle were seemingly unwilling to provide the extra funds to bring the Gambian to the club this winter, with League Two side County said to be holding out for a fee closer to £1 million.

That reluctance to shell out the extra funds has been a common them at Home Park in recent years, with owner Simon Hallett keen to keep the Pilgrims sustainably run and not spend beyond their means to reach their goal.

This can be commended in so many ways - especially with the memories of 15 years ago and the near-death experience of the entire football club - but with the threat of relegation looming and the potential loss of revenue as a result, an extra body in the forward department could have made all the difference between survival and relegation in the next few months.

Jatta has 18 league goals in 33 appearances since joining County in January of last year, with the 26-year-old proving to be a thorn in many a defender’s side during his time in the fourth tier, with his hold up play, and potent finishing ability making him one of the finest forwards in the division.

A fine physical specimen, the former Viborg man is the exact sort of character that Muslic seems to crave in his side; aggressive, intense, and willing to put in the hard yards to achieve results, while also being the focal point of a more direct attacking style.

Even if it wasn’t to be Jatta, the fact that Argyle failed to bring in another attacking option other than Michael Baidoo at the start of the campaign could ultimately prove to be their undoing in the next few months, with the forwards already at the club failing to set the World alight since the start of the season.

Plymouth Argyle will be hoping for Ryan Hardie return to form under Miron Muslic

Saturday’s 2-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion was momentous in so many ways for Plymouth Argyle, for not only was it their first Championship win in 16 games, but it also marked a first league goal from open play this season for Ryan Hardie.

While the Scot’s attempts forced an own goal out of Anthony Patterson in the 2-2 draw against Sunderland the week before, this time he got his own name on the scoresheet; firstly from the spot, before pouncing on a ball round the back to earn his side all three points in another Home Park dramatic ending.

While the former Blackpool man can never be faulted for effort, the last time he had found the net aside from penalties was in February 2024 against Middlesbrough, while he hadn’t done so at the Theatre of Greens for over 12 months.

By his own admission, it hasn’t been Hardie’s greatest season, but with Muslic already showing signs of turning things around in terms of attitude and results, there will be so much pinned on the 27-year-old’s shoulders over the next few months.

Mustapha Bundu has been utilised up top in recent weeks, while Michael Obafemi returns to full fitness, and there will be plenty of Janners’ hopes pinned on the returning Muhamed Tijani, who continues to work his way back from hamstring surgery back in October.

With his colossal frame, the Slavia Prague loanee could prove to be the January signing that never was for Argyle and Muslic, with the trip to the Stadium of Light seeing him earn his first minutes since September, as he caused a nuisance in the final third in the final ten minutes.

For a forward line that has failed to unlock many a Championship defence, there has been a whole lot of trust thrust upon them for the following months, and a lot of trust put on Muslic and his new brand of football, which is slowly looking like it could earn much-needed points for the Greens in the battle at the bottom.

With reinforcements added at the back in the shape of Maxi Talovierov and Nikola Katic, and the former breaking the club’s transfer record fee, no one can point a finger at Simon Hallett and say he hasn’t been willing to invest in the playing squad this winter, but it remains to be seen whether the club have got their priorities right in where they added the reinforcements.

Having scored two goals away from home for the first time this season, and scored twice in successive matches for the first time since December 2023, the Argyle owner could say he was well within his rights to keep his money in his back pocket for the time being, but if the injury issues of late come back to rear their head, they could be ruing any near-misses during the transfer window.