Exeter City have suffered Caleb Watts blow but he might take Plymouth Argyle for a ride | OneFootball

Caleb Watts has joined Plymouth Argyle from Exeter City, but it's hard to see him playing much for the Pilgrims or justifying his three-year deal.

As soon as the news landed on Friday afternoon, alarm bells started ringing.

Exeter City published a bizarre 158-word statement confirming that Caleb Watts had rejected fresh terms with the club and would be leaving after his latest six-month deal had expired.

The Grecians blasted Watts, saying: "We were unable to come close to matching the financial terms offered to Caleb by another club. He has decided not to repay the commitment and faith shown to him."

On first look, the mood was very much, so what? He can do what he likes. He's probably not been used properly or treated as well as he could have been by manager Gary Caldwell so good luck to him. Why the need for this cringey statement: he's not that special?

Then the penny started to drop, and it was a clear case of damage limitation and trying to get ahead of the scandal as it was soon confirmed that Watts was leaving Devon's capital to sign a lucrative three-year deal down the A38 at Plymouth Argyle.

Devon X went into meltdown with a combination of red fury and green gloating.

But, now the dust has settled a little, the abiding feeling is that Watts has shafted City by joining Argyle, but that he might also about to take the Pilgrims for a ride as well.

Caldwell has criticised Watts

Watts was one of Exeter's more exciting players last season, opting to drive forward rather than relentlessly pass it about, much to Caldwell's chagrin.

It always felt like there was a bit of needle between the pair, which came to a head when Caldwell accused the 23-year-old of going 'off script' and not playing for the team after he was given man of the match in the rain-soaked 0-0 bore draw with Burton Albion.

"I thought he had good moments but I would still like him to show more of a team ethic and kind of link in to what we're trying to do," Caldwell told the club's media team.

"At times he goes a little off script and then he's not in the position that we need him to be to score the goal but I thought his energy levels and how dynamic he was, was very good.

"He knows how frustrated I get with him at times when he goes off script and then he's not in the right position.

"If he holds his position at times then he's a fantastic player, he's got fantastic talent. I've loved what he's done this season, I've loved where he's come from in terms of his injuries and not playing.

"Caleb knows how much I love him but I just want him to hold his position at times and recognise when he doesn't need to do so much individually and the team will be better off for it."

Watts became a lightning rod

Those comments, and Watts' performances on the pitch, meant the Australia youth international soon became a lightning rod for those in the Caldwell Out camp who wanted to see an end to the dull tactics on the pitch, with Watts often being the one bright spark in a rigid and unimaginative squad.

The 'off script' comment didn't go down well with many supporters, but the fact that Watts suddenly became one of City's more entertaining players after barely playing for two years was a surprise.

When all's said and done, Watts made just 31 appearances in League One this season, starting 20 games, scoring four and setting up only one goal.

He averaged just over 49 minutes per appearance and was hauled off at half-time in his last two appearances for the club.

That strange statement and the odd undertones, added to the anti-Caldwell boosted feeling towards Watts from some fans seem to have given Plymouth supporters the idea that they've signed a world beater.

Watts is a decent player, but the fact is he struggled to get regular game time at the 16th-best side in League One this season.

Watts could struggle for games at Plymouth

For Argyle to give him a three-year deal on big money seems like more of a PR move than a serious footballing one.

Watts does still have plenty of scope to improve, but the competition is going to be fierce at a side who will undoubtedly be gunning for an immediate return to the Championship following relegation in 2024/25.

Looking at it objectively, it feels that he's going to struggle to get into Argyle's starting XI on a regular basis and he only managed 48 appearances in all competitions across his 24 months at Exeter after an injury-hit debut season in the South West.

At the end of the day, all footballers are guns for hire and they're always going to go to the highest bidder.

The big winner out of the whole saga is Watts, who's the only one guaranteed to do well out of the move, whatever happens over the next three years.

He could be a smash hit for Argyle, and if he is going to play well next season he's guaranteed to put in a performance in the two Devon derbies, but his numbers for a struggling team in a division lower than they want to be playing can not be that encouraging for Pilgrims supporters once you get past the banter.