Plymouth Argyle tipped for double exit in 'real big blow' | OneFootball

FLW's Plymouth fan pundit shares their thoughts on the biggest talking point at the club right now

Despite a 3-2 victory away to already-relegated Northampton Town on the final day, it proved to be too little too late for Plymouth Argyle, who will be spending next season in League One once again.

An excellent second half of the campaign at Home Park couldn't quite make up for a poor start to the year for Plymouth, who finished two points outside the top six in 8th.

A run of just one defeat in the league since the beginning of March gave the Pilgrims a fighting chance, but it wasn't to be for Tom Cleverley's side, whose focus will swiftly be turning to the summer.

Plymouth will be looking to bring in some added depth and quality over the next few months, as well as retaining some of their star assets, who have been the subject of widespread interest over recent weeks for their efforts in Devon.

The futures of Lorent Tolaj and Aribim Pepple are the biggest concerns at Plymouth right now

With another year in the third tier confirmed for Plymouth, disappointment will be rife among the fanbase, having failed to sustain a meaningful push to jump back into the Championship at the first time of asking.

There will be repercussions for this failure to achieve promotion, with the likelihood of some of their star assets, namely Lorent Tolaj and Aribim Pepple, garnering interest from elsewhere.

Football League World's Plymouth fan pundit, Luke, has shared their thoughts on what they think is the biggest talking point at the club at the moment, and how they feel about it.

Luke said: "Yeah, we're only a couple of days after the season's finished and already there's a lot of talk on social media channels regarding player retention, player recruitment. That's a big one.

"Who are we going to offer new contracts to? Who's going to leave the club? Who's going to stay? And probably within that, the two biggest points are obviously Lorent Tolaj; I think we all know that he's likely to leave the club.

"However, the worry is that Bim Pepple may follow suit, and that's simply because of his, by all accounts, low release clause, which, if that is the case, will be triggered by probably a few clubs.

"Therefore, you know, to lose both Lorent Tolaj and Bim Pepple would be a real big blow to Argyle. So that's definitely the biggest talking point at the moment.

Tom Cleverley will face a huge battle to retain Lorent Tolaj and Aribim Pepple at Plymouth this summer

At this point, interest in both Tolaj and Pepple is no secret, and with Plymouth failing to gain promotion, keeping the pair around in League One next season seems an almost impossible task.

Fortunately for Plymouth, Cleverley revealed previously that Tolaj's contract does not contain a release clause, and with three years still to go until its expiry, they sit firmly in the driving seat when it comes to demanding a price for the Swiss striker, who managed 18 goals and eight assists in 33 League One games this season.

His performances have seen him attract interest from several clubs in the Championship, including Derby County and Millwall, who may well tempt Plymouth into a sale this summer with a few bids.

Pepple, meanwhile, does indeed have a release clause in his deal, unfortunately for the Pilgrims. Having signed from Luton Town in the summer in a deal worth a potential £600k, he has hit 16 goals and two assists in his first season in the third tier this year.

How much his release clause is worth is, at this stage, unclear, but with fresh reports of the likes of Norwich City, Watford, and Portsmouth tracking the Canadian's situation, they could be powerless to resist a sale this summer.