Plymouth Argyle would love Blackburn Rovers repeat with record-breaker | OneFootball

Alan Judge helped keep the Greens in the division after joining on loan back in the 08/09 season

Plymouth Argyle broke their transfer record twice in the recent transfer window, with playmaker Michael Baidoo the first to come through the door from Elsfborg after the turn of the year, before defender Maxi Talovierov upped the ante once again, in a reported £1.7 million move from LASK.

Baidoo’s move to Home Park is something that had been mooted since the summer, with the Ghanaian wanting out of the Swedish side after the Pilgrims made their initial approach back in August, only for the Allsvenskan outfit to reject their player’s demands.

That had changed by the time winter came along, as the Greens welcomed a player who they hope will add extra creativity in the final third between now and the end of the campaign, as Argyle battle against the drop at the bottom in the second tier.

With the pressure on to produce the goods for the previously shot-shy Pilgrims, there will be members of the Green Army who will be able to cast their minds back 16 years to a similar scenario regarding Alan Judge, with the Blackburn Rovers loanee adding extra energy into the fold after his January addition.

Plymouth Argyle will expect big things of Michael Baidoo after record-breaking switch

It is only within the past 18 months that Plymouth Argyle have become used to shelling out seven-figure fees for players, with Morgan Whittaker and Bali Mumba both said to have cost £1 million apiece when they moved to Devon back in the summer of 2023.

That joint-record stood for 18 months until Baidoo’s transfer fee eclipsed it earlier in the year, although he only held that title for a matter of weeks before Talovierov’s agreement was finalised in the final days of the transfer window.

But with the hefty fee that he attracted and his calibre in domestic and European competition while in Sweden, onlooking Janners will be expecting the 25-year-old to back up his 14 goal contributions from the previous league campaign having made the move to England.

With goals from the penalty spot against Galatasaray and Roma also to his name in recent months, Baidoo already has a CV of note, but those moments of magic are yet to have come to the fore over the past month.

Granted, he was playing out of position for the first few fixtures he played in green, with all manner of fitness issues with strikers took their toll, but even operating in a deeper position, the Ghanaian has failed to find his feet so far.

While he looks full of energy and nimble enough to wrong foot a defender on the odd occasion, that telepathy with his teammates is still lacking of late, with a halftime hooking against West Bromwich Albion recently evidence of Miron Muslic’s lack of patience with his number 30.

While there is little doubting Baidoo’s natural talent and ability, the Green Army would love to see that come up trumps on match day sooner rather than later, before that price tag starts to weigh heavily round his neck.

Plymouth Argyle would love Alan Judge repeat with Michael Baidoo

Wind the clock back to the 2008/09 campaign, and Argyle had once again fallen upon tough times in the second tier, with Paul Sturrock trying to keep the club afloat after a number of the Pilgrims’ top assets had left the club 12 months before.

With the likes of Dan Gosling, David Norris, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and Barry Hayles all departing in January 2008, there were signs that things weren’t all as they seemed at Home Park, with the financial situation regarding the club taking a turn for the worse.

As a result, a side that had maintained successive mid table finishes in the Championship were now treading water, and needed all the help they could get in the final third, with Blackburn loanee Paul Gallagher being the main outlet for a side on their knees.

With just one win in eight league games as January came about, Argyle turned back to Ewood Park for more help in the winter transfer window, with Alan Judge making the move to Devon to join Gallagher, with the two hitting it off in their new surroundings, and helping the Greens ease their relegation fears.

The dinky dynamo was just 20 when he joined on loan, and used all of that youthful exuberance to his advantage in Devon, as he ricocheted like a ball of elastic bands across the front line; harrying defenders and trying to create mischief at all times.

As the tide started to turn, a first win in ten was earned against high-flying Wolves at Molineux, before Watford were seen off days later at Home Park, and suddenly the dark clouds of winter were parting for the sunshine of spring.

While Argyle weren’t completely out of the woods, their small resurgence helped breathe new life into a side that looked destined for the drop at one point in the season, with Judge playing his part in a group that rallied together to pick up the results required to maintain their second tier status.

While there is no doubt the Irishman could frustrate at times, his never-say-die attitude afforded him the leeway to make the odd mistake here and there, as you could put your house on him giving his all to make amends when given the chance.

While patience isn’t always something given so freely in football, that is what Baidoo needs right now; he will come good some point soon for sure, but having had more than a month off of competitive action, he just needs minutes in the bank to adjust to his new surroundings and the task at hand.

There is certainly a player in there waiting to be unlocked - Argyle wouldn’t have stumped up the cash if there wasn’t - and if he continues to show the will to give his all in green, there is every hope that he can contribute, as Judge did, to a side that staves off relegation.