Argyle's January Transfer Window Rated

All the signings – and the ones that didn't make it

Welcome to the latest One Team In Devon – after a short break – we’re here to round up the January window.

January is a terrible time to do business – everyone knows that. But this has been one of the most active windows in memory, and not by choice.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. First we recruited Foster, who then had every single loan at the club recalled. The end result is 8 players out and 6 brought in.

How did it go down? And how do we look going forward? Let’s dig in and find out.

The window: A quick look

I don’t need to remind you who we’ve signed – I’m sure that you’ve been glued to the club’s social channels. But it might be worth just mapping the ins and outs together, to see how we feel that we’ve improved over the window

OUT Finn Azaz (loan) > Alfie Devine (loan)
OUT Luke Cundle (loan) > Darko Gyabi (loan)
OUT Macaulay Gillesphey > Ashley Phillips (loan)
OUT Matt Butcher > Adam Forshaw
OUT Kaine Kesler-Hayden (loan) > Lino Sousa (loan)
OUT Saxon Earley > Matty Sorinola
OUT Lewis Warrington
OUT Tyreik Wright

When you look at the window in this manner, you can see we have – by and large – improved the squad for the second half of the season. The only one that doesn’t realy map well is the loss of Azaz, and Devine in his role.

There was plenty of speculation (meltdown) that Argyle would only use loans to plug the gaps left by the huge exodus of loanees this January. However, Sorinola and Forshaw arrived on permanent deals – with fringe players moved on. Overall, we look a much better squad, with better competition across places and a higher ceiling of ability.

One thing we’ve certainly added is height. Philips and Gyabi both top 6’4”, and this is one element of how Argyle have added solidity and targeted suring things up at the back.

If you want to be glass half empty – and heaven knows Argyle fans usually are – there’s a lack of experience. Devine for Azaz does not feel like a like-for-like replacement, and none of the signings seem capable of replacing his numbers on their own.

Incomings overview

Alfie Devine (19)

The Spurs midfielder had been at Port Vale on loan, before being moved to Home Park. An attacking midfielder, Devine has pace, passing and flair. It remains to be seen whether he can adapt to playing behind the striker in a 10, having been used deeper at Vale. Unsurprisingly, his goal scoring form there was unspectacular, and he has big boots to fill. He will need to chip in with 4/5 goals this term.

Darko Gyabi (19)

Another 19 year old that played under Foster in the England pathway, he’s known for driving runs and high work rate. Leeds paid £5m for Gyabi after he came through Man City’s academy. He has the potential to add quality and energy to the Argyle midfield.

Adam Forshaw (32)

The perfect foil for the two youngsters in midfield, Forshaw has played in the Championship and Premier League. A knee injury blighted his time at Leeds, but he made 12 appearances for them in the Premier League last term, but failed to establish himself at Norwich, who released him to sign for Argyle. Described as a consummate professional, Forshaw has been drafted in to add experience and calmness to the midfield. Keeping him fit will be essential.

Ashley Phillips (18)

Another Spurs boy on loan, Phillips comes tipped to reach the top of the game. A ball-playing centre-back, with wicked turn of pace – Philips looks to slot into the right side of defence. At 18, he’s young to play at CB, and surprisingly at 6’4, his aerial stats are poor, so he will start alongside Gibson or Scarr.

Matty Sorinola (22)

A ex-Swansea player that arrived with a flurry of warnings from disgruntled Swans fans? Sign me up.

Sorinola hasn’t found his feet with his last two moves post-MK Dons, with a disappointing loan spell at Swansea, before being released by parent club Union SG.

A dynamic wing-back who can play both sides, he’s also a fully fledged Argyle player after signing on a free transfer. Another diamond in the rough, who has big potential to revive his career at Home Park.

Lino Sousa (19)

Sousa is Portugese-born, and has spent the last few years in Arsenal’s development side, before being sold to Villa (and loaned to Argyle) on deadline day.

An attacking wingback known for his athleticism, he’s something of an enigma having played very little first team football. His first kick for Argyle will be his first in senior football.

He’s not a mystery to Foster, having made appearances in the England pathway, and was very highly rated by many Arsenal fans.

The end of the window came with a touch of speculation that we were in for Femi Azeez, a young Reading hotshot winger with a very promising scoring record. It seems, however, the club couldn't get it over the line.

While Azeez could play up top, he was another winger option – which would have been a useful addition. It was an signing that could have ended up replacing Whittaker. I wouldn't be surprised to see the deal revisited in the summer.

Lack of a striker

The window closing also triggered doom and gloom that we haven't signed a striker.

We have got to this point as one of the league's top scorers, and navigated two periods of significant injury to our front line. But we are undeniably a man short in attack.

It certainly is a tough market. The competition is fierce, and it's likely Ipswich are paying a high proportion of wages for players such as Keiffer Moore. So with Premier League loans in short supply, and millions wanted for strikers even at League 2 level – it's slim pickings for Argyle.

I'm not of the opinion that we need a striker to the point where we should pay a lot of money for someone to sit on the bench. And no team will send a striker on loan to carry Ryan Hardie’s half time oranges.

If only we have a striker in the mould of Nial Ennis or Sam Cosgrove on the books.

The sheer amount of work load expected from Hardie under Fozball does worry me, however. And it seems we will see a lot more of Ben Waine than previously – and he will be trusted to see games out in the short term.

Foster does seem to like Waine, and his energy levels and enthusiasm seem to fit with what Fozzie is looking for. While his ability as a striker at this level is seriously in doubt, I would say that Foster seems like the right kind of coach to find Waine's ceiling.

Unless we bag a free agent – it seems that Waine will have to do.

The Azaz issue

A big problem is that Azaz left such a huge hole after his recall. Take a look at our stats round up for a full look at what Azaz brought to the team. His all-round stats, passing and ball progression are unparalleled and league-wide standouts. There was little chance he could be replaced by even wealthy clubs in this league, let alone one on Argyle's budget.

But if there's a strategy for replacing him, it seems to be an overall improvement in ball progression capability across the back and middle.

Forshaw over Houghton seems like a big improvement, and he offers coolness under pressure and upgraded passing quality – and we also saw some driving runs forward in the Cardiff game.

Gyabi doesn't look a huge upgrade on Randell, but it's a small sample size so far. He's certainly athletic, and probably better suited to driving the ball up the pitch.

Add in Philips' pacing and passing range, and added the potential value of Sorinola and Sousa at wing-back, and we could become a more dynamic team in getting up the pitch, rather than simply relying on the mercurial Azaz.

Keeping Whittaker

Of course, one of the best deals of the window was keeping Whittaker.

In the face of significant interest from Premier League clubs like Brentford, Fulham, and West Ham, and an outright offer from Lazio, Whittaker stayed at Home Park.

It's to the credit of the Argyle board and Morgan himself that neither was swayed. Morgan has been outspoken about his happiness in Plymouth, and Argyle themselves were happy to hold onto and grow their investment in Whittaker, rather than risking Championship status for immediate cash they would have been unable to spend effectively.

I made a point about spending some of the anticipated Whittaker money in advance.

If and when we do cash in on a transfer worth around £20 million, prices we pay will likely inflate. Perhaps Hallett has already done that, as our wage bill is now significantly higher than it would have been on December 31st. The Schumacher compensation would certainly have helped.

The window rated: 8/10

I'm really positive about the window. We've moved on fringe players and added raw potential and experience. We're certainly one player short across the front line, but thankfully, that's the one area where we are currently performing well.

Foster is shaping up to be a fantastic choice, and he appears to be meticulous about Argyle's defensive setup. The young players he's brought in will be familiar with these methods from their Premier League academies and the England pathway. This should make Argyle a tougher team to play against – which was Foster's main mission upon arrival.

Random thoughts:

Best signing: Ashley Phillips (potential and passing ability)

Most questionable signing: Matty Sorinola (recent struggles and disgruntled fan warnings)

Smartest signing: Adam Forshaw (experience and leadership)

Most exciting signing: Lino Sousa (unknown quantity with high potential)