Lorent Tolaj tipped to leave Plymouth Argyle if one thing happens - he's 'the full package' | OneFootball

FLW’s Plymouth Argyle fan pundit has commented on the future of star forward Lorent Tolaj.

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, managers, potential signings and more…

Plymouth Argyle have had quite a mixed start on their return to League One.

Led by Tom Cleverley, the Pilgrims currently sit in the bottom-half of the third-tier, winning four and losing six of their opening 10 league matches.

The ex-Watford boss will be hopeful that three victories from their last four games can transform their fortunes though, with the Devonshire outfit needing to show much more consistency if they want to be in contention to return to the Championship at the first time of asking.

Plymouth’s run, which included a 4-0 win away at Burton Albion last weekend, can hopefully be the catalyst for getting the club back on the right track and see them go on an upwards trajectory between now and next May.

One player who has hit the ground running after linking up at Home Park in the summer transfer window is forward Lorent Tolaj, who has been on a meteoric rise up the English pyramid over the last couple of years.

After scoring 19 goals in 2023-24 with Aldershot Town, he moved up to the EFL in League Two with Port Vale and settled into EFL life by netting 14 times and providing eight assists from 37 games as Darren Moore's men clinched promotion.

He swiftly moved to Home Park this summer, viewing Plymouth as the club to be at to help realise his Championship ambitions, and he is also showing he has the game to be a talisman in the third-tier, scoring three goals and contributing one assist for the Pilgrims from six games.

Plymouth Argyle told to ‘enjoy’ Lorent Tolaj before eventual Home Park departure

With Tolaj seemingly a Championship player in waiting, questions have been raised whether his stint at Plymouth will be short, just like at Aldershot and Port Vale.

With this in mind, FLW’s Plymouth Argyle fan pundit has commented on how he views Tolaj’s future with the Pilgrims after a successful start to life at Home Park.

Speaking to Football League World, Plymouth Argyle fan pundit Luke Hodge believes the Swiss forward “has the full package” and may be difficult to hold on to even if they gain immediate promotion back to the Championship.

Luke said: “I guarantee you that there’s interest from several clubs higher up the EFL pyramid already, not just this summer, and probably European clubs too.

“He’s 23, he’s an out-and-out number nine, he’s the full package. He works his socks off. He’s got a lot of ability, but to add that hunger and work-rate with that ability is great to see.

“We just need to enjoy him while he’s here. Hopefully, we can get promoted with him and that’s our best chance of him staying at the club.

"But even if we do get promoted, I still feel there will be bigger clubs in for him with offers that we can’t turn down, and I think Tolaj will want to go as he looks hungry for success to play at the highest level.

“We've just got to enjoy him whilst he’s here. Hopefully he can take us to promotion. That’s what we can hope for, and we’ll see what happens in the summer.

“If we do get promoted, then we have a chance of keeping him, but if we don’t get promoted, then he is definitely going to go, as he’s far too good a player to stay in League One, that’s for sure, so let’s see what happens.”

Plymouth Argyle must secure promotion to keep hold of Lorent Tolaj

The £1.2m investment from Plymouth Argyle for Tolaj is already being justified in the early days of his Pilgrims career, with his sublime all-round game allowing him to step up to each division with ease and score regularly.

He’s a player that looks set to go right to the top of the game if he keeps this upward trajectory going, and it won’t be long before some Championship clubs turn their attention to securing his services.

However, Plymouth will be desperate to keep hold of him as they need to get back to the Championship themselves, and you feel the only way he stays beyond this term is if they can get back to the second-tier at the first attempt.

If they don’t, Plymouth are very likely to lose their prized asset, although they should be set to receive a sizeable profit from the original price they paid for him, which could go a long way to balking up the playing squad in order to be successful later down the line.

But Tolaj offers so much to the team, and if they were to be back in the Championship, his qualities could go a long way in establishing themselves back in the second-tier, given his ability to impress regardless of the league he is in.

He’s certainly a top talent on their books, and Tom Cleverley must only have a target of promotion in his mind if he wants his Swiss forward to remain at the club for years to come.