"Devastated" - Rotherham United frustration laid bare as Plymouth Argyle gazump Millers to £300k deal | OneFootball

Rotherham fan pundit Tom is devastated after Brendan Wiredu's Plymouth move, saying he would have been the perfect Hakeem Odoffin replacement.

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...

Rotherham United have lost out on one of their top summer transfer targets after they were gazumped by League One rivals Plymouth Argyle to a deal for Fleetwood Town captain Brendan Wiredu.

Rotherham had a £300k offer turned down by the Cod Army last month, and according to reports, that opened the door for Plymouth, who moved swiftly to agree terms with the 25-year-old - although they have also paid the same figure that United were believed to have had turned down.

Having lost defenders Hakeem Odoffin and Cameron Humphreys over the summer on free transfers, Wiredu would have been seen as a like-for-like replacement for the former as he can also play in midfielder, but he isn't heading to the New York Stadium.

Rotherham United frustration laid bare at losing out on Brendan Wiredu deal

After impressing for Colchester United, Wiredu joined Fleetwood in 2022 and quickly became a key figure. He made 123 appearances, scored seven goals, and registered four assists during his time at Highbury, and mainly played at centre-back for the last year-and-a-half.

Last season, despite Fleetwood's struggles in League Two, he was made captain and posted consistent numbers across the campaign, and that has led to League One interest, with Plymouth winning the battle.

FLW's Millers Fan Pundit Tom Eyre believes not landing Wiredu is a major missed opportunity, both in terms of the player profile and the price tag, and pointed the finger at a lack of urgency from the club's hierarchy.

"I am personally devastated by the news," Tom said

"I think he was a perfect replacement for Odoffin. He's had a similar sort of career, he started as a midfielder, athletic, box to box with a good tackle and ball-carrying, then moved to centre-back and looked even better there.

“In my eyes, he is just a younger Odoffin with leadership experience, proven by his captaincy.

"So yeah, I’m extremely disappointed. I think he would have been a big longevity signing - £300,000 is a bargain in this market.

“It could be that he picked Plymouth because he thought they were a better project, but I’m just really disappointed as a fan of the player and what he could have done for the club.”

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For Rotherham, losing out on a deal for Wiredu when they were in the running first will be a painful blow to deal with - especially as he's heading to a divisional rival.

So far, they have added young Chelsea goalkeeper Ted Curd and Barrow midfielder Kian Spence, but they're going to need plenty more over the course of the next two months to try and push for the League One play-off spots.

Wiredu showed he was probably a level above League Two with Fleetwood last season, hence why Rotherham wanted him, but their dithering has seemingly let Plymouth come and snap him up.