5 things Argyle need for a successful summer window

Making this season less chaotic and more successful starts this summer

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Football, bloody hell. In the last newsletter, I said that the only certainty of this season’s closing game would be chaos – and that’s exactly what we got. How could it have finished any other way? 0–2 down to win 3–2, in the play-offs at 90 minutes to have it snatched away. How does football always find a way to hurt?

Back at the start of the season, I wrote a prediction that the season would be a “write-off”. It was an intentionally inflammatory headline, but with a serious point.

The main argument was that the squad was in flux, with 16+ players moving on and a new manager in a new league. I said it would take three windows to rebuild the squad. This is the third.

While I was right about the slow start, I never saw it getting as bad as it got. And I certainly didn’t hold on to the central message of that piece – its call for patience – when things hit the fan in November. At the same time, I also didn’t predict how good things eventually became, which feeds a sense of optimism that, with a fair wind, this season could bring fireworks.

So, continuing from that fateful newsletter, where are we as a club now? And what comes next? Here are five issues facing us this summer, and how we should tackle them.

1. Finish the rebuild

That first window was certainly better than it first seemed in November. So much so that it needed little surgery in January, with Ronan Curtis for Bali Mumba the only piece of major business, although arguably Joe Ralls in October was just as important.

But the point remains that this window should see the completion of that rebuild.

There are players out of contract, some who remain from the previous era, and others who will naturally move on. Some change is normal and inevitable.

So what’s missing? That’s actually a difficult question, as the best XI finished the season in automatic promotion form.

A key goal for the summer should be to add depth to the squad and ensure that players spend more time on the pitch than in the treatment room. The likes of Paterson, Benarous, Amaechi, and, to an extent, Sorinola and Finn, didn’t add enough to the squad when required.

Then there are the Pleguezuelos, Ibrahims, and Galloways, who could not contribute enough due to injury. We had one of the biggest squads in the league — so large, in fact, that we had to start deregistering players — yet we still felt short for most of the season.

The key to the window will be adding depth, competition, and resilience across the squad. But the worry is how much of the existing spine will need to be replaced.

2. Retaining the spine

The aim of this window is to finish the rebuild, not start another.

Some churn is normal and unavoidable. Tolaj probably will go – and that is also fine. The player trading model requires it.

But it’s crucial that outgoings are limited, and that the core of the existing first XI remains.

This year, I am obsessed with retaining what we have. My simplistic view is that high-performing teams at this level (the Argyle 22/23 side and Lincoln this season) benefit from a solid base, low churn, and consistent management and tactics.

Keeping hold of Ralls and Mitchell gives us the best chance. It may also be that we try to sign Harding and Dale – along with Hazard and Edwards. Lose too many of those, and things get messy quickly. Holding on to a significant portion of the first XI gives us a strong platform to push on.

As such, I would also like to see Pepple retained on improved terms. That’s possibly deluded, but I like the idea of allowing him to build on a strong half-season within a system that has already proven effective for him.

3. Nail the player trading model

Players will leave this window, which makes the need for stability elsewhere important.

The fan consensus is that Pepple and Tolaj will leave. If that is true, they must leave for maximum value. Cleverley has confirmed that Pepple has a release clause, but we must maximise the Tolaj fee.

I believe we can reinvest that money into quality strikers. We did it with Tolaj, Pepple, and Oseni, and we have a system that creates an enormous amount of chances for forwards. That’s why it’s essential to keep things as stable as possible.

Then there’s Baidoo, and offloading him could be the best piece of business ever done.

We’ve done great business getting returns on Szűcs and Bali, but this would be another level. How we would get a return on him, I have no idea – and it could be that mutual termination of his contract is the best option for all involved. Cleverley has made it clear he’s not in his plans. I would certainly be looking to force him back to Plymouth and terminate his contract if he doesn’t show.

4. Evolve the style

It was plainly obvious that the Cleverley who started last season would not enjoy success. Tactically, we were so far short, which is why the style of play in the early season was vastly different from how it ended.

So the refinement of our identity will be interesting to watch.

It’s scarcely believable that we could become a more effective attacking unit. But being able to sustain that over the course of a season is essential.

While it’s perfectly reasonable to say no change is needed, I would like us to be able to mix up styles.

Our struggles against teams that, like us, don’t want the ball were obvious. Imagine getting to a play-off final or crunch game and not having the tools to open up a team that knows our kryptonite is having too much of the ball. I’d like to see us address that.

I don’t want to see us stop playing in favour of chasing corners and dead-ball deliveries, which feels like the natural path of evolution. The Arsenelification of Argyle.

With Amaechi on our books and as a top earner, I would love to see us develop the ability to open teams up when they let us have the ball – and having a fit Ralls or another playmaker would help.

5. Communicate less – but smarter

Communication matters. Things said in the media find their way into the discourse and onto the terraces, and it’s something the club has struggled with – albeit from a well-meaning place of transparency. But I would also advocate for communicating a little less.

The rumours of investment are hard to ignore – and it seems like a potentially exciting and possibly defining period for the club. Simon Hallett has been clear about the values of the owner he’d sell to, and I hope he stands by those principles.

But if investment doesn’t happen, then something else needs to change.

The divisions of the last few seasons have fractured the fanbase – and it’s time to draw a line under them. I think the club has proven that it’s capable of making good decisions regarding Cleverley and spending money on quality recruitment.

There cannot be four fan forums in 2026/27. There cannot be forums to explain issues or misunderstandings from previous forums. Transparency is good, up to a point – but that approach hasn’t been working.

In my view, it has led to over-scrutinisation, yet the stock of Simon Hallett — someone who has ploughed £40m of his own money into the club — couldn’t be lower. There’s work to be done this summer and beyond.