3 clear reasons why Plymouth Argyle's January transfer window was a big success | OneFootball

Things are looking much better at Home Park right now than when they headed into 2025

With five incomings and six outgoings, as well as a change of manager, it was a busy start to the year for Plymouth Argyle, with the Greens slowly starting to reap the benefits of the decisions made last month.

With Miron Muslic at the helm, the Pilgrims are no longer the relegation fodder that everybody assumed they were under Wayne Rooney, with the Austrian instilling some belief and spirit into a club that had fallen on its knees in the first-half of the season.

Out with the old, and in with the new; owner Simon Hallett twice shelled out enough cash to break the club’s record transfer fee during the month, while addressing some key areas that needed fixing in the playing squad, with the next few months shaping up to be a fascinating watch down in the southwest.

Argyle will have had polar opposite feelings from heading into the January transfer window and leaving it, with their proposition a lot more rosier than it could have been despite sitting bottom of the table, and here are three reasons why.

Defensive cover has been brought in

With Lewis Gibson leaving in the first week of the transfer window, and unfortunate injuries to Brendan Galloway and Kornel Szucs throughout the month, Argyle were down to the bare bones in terms of defensive options for much of the month, with Victor Palsson and Julio Pleguezuelo the only two fit players on the books.

Muslic favours a back three in his new-look system for the Greens, which left them fitting square pegs in round holes in the middle of the month, as new recruit Tymoteusz Puchacz slotted in on the left side of the back three, while Bali Mumba had to finish the 2-2 draw with Sunderland in a more central position.

The need for new faces was clear, and after Sparta Rotterdam centre-back Mike Eerdhuijzen reportedly called off a move due to personal terms, the Pilgrims needed to act fast, and put their money where their mouth was in terms of recruitment.

Becoming the club’s record signing for a fee said to be in the region of £1.7 million, Maxi Talovierov has already endeared himself to the Green Army after a colossal debut against West Bromwich Albion, where every tackle was celebrated like a goal, with the Ukrainian gladiator proving to be a force to be reckoned with at the back.

Alongside him that day was Nikola Katic, with the Bosnian also making his debut in the Baggies victory, and forming an immediate relationship with his fellow defenders on day one of the job.

Too many times this season, the Greens could be convicted of being too porous at the back, but the early signs are promising regarding their defensive additions, with Puchacz also deserving a mention after his early promise on the left side of the pitch.

The Pole has looked assured in his wing-back role, and knows how to stick to the task at hand at all costs, which is vital in this battle at the bottom that Argyle find themselves in.

Not only that, but his ability to pick a pass - such as that for Ryan Hardie to score the winner from last weekend - and delivery from set-pieces could prove vital in the following months, and those three additions could well turn Argyle’s fortunes around slowly but surely.

Getting rid of the deadwood

Having been on the fringes at Home Park for the first-half of the season, it would have turned a few heads when Adam Forshaw departed Devon for play-off chasing Blackburn Rovers earlier in the month.

While there can be no doubting his eye for a pass, and ability to retain possession, the former Leeds United man had struggled with the intensity in the midfield battle over recent months, and lost the trust of Wayne Rooney after a needless red card in a 1-1 draw with Queens Park Rangers at the start of the campaign.

Shipping him out freed up plenty of wages for the Greens to use elsewhere, while Andre Gray’s departure also made way for extra recruits to be brought in throughout January, with the striker’s short-term contract coming to an end.

While he delighted Janners with his brace against Watford and played his part in a dramatic three-goal comeback against Preston North End, the 33-year-old was too immobile to make much difference in the final third, and would have struggled to fit into Muslic’s plans.

There is also an argument to say that the departure of Morgan Whittaker was a decision that turned out best for all parties by the end of the window, with Middlesbrough coughing up £6 million plus add-ons to make him theirs, with those funds then available to bring in those extra defensive reinforcements.

While another striker being brought into the equation would have been ideal, this squad now has more of a Muslic stamp on it than before, and with everyone set to buy into his game plan, the Pilgrims look more potent as a unit right now than relying on the magic from Whittaker’s boot on the odd occasion, as was so often the case in previous months.

The appointment of Miron Muslic

While there is an argument to say that the Home Park hierarchy should have pulled the trigger with Rooney earlier than his eventual New Year’s Eve departure, there is a feeling they may have got their latest appointment spot on with Muslic.

The former Cercle Brugge boss has a track record of turning side’s fortunes around after struggling at the bottom of the table, and form his early days in Devon, you can see exactly why.

Not only are his tactics built upon a sturdy backline and a direct approach, but it is the intangible things that he has brought back to the Argyle dressing room that could make all the difference in the long run.

There is a togetherness about this Pilgrims side once again; a belief that they can really get themselves out of the mire they find themselves in, and if they all work for one another they can pick up points against any side in the division if they all follow their role down to the final letter.

That has already been proven with the point at the Stadium of Light and victory over the Baggies, and the task now is to repeat that trick against other sides who will be travelling to Home Park with more than one eye on just earning a point, with the likes of Millwall and Cardiff City making the trip to the southwest in the coming weeks.

It may be chalk and cheese compared to Rooney in terms of playing style, but with the gargantuan additions all over the pitch, Argyle will be looking to dominate the physical battle, rather than making any great stakes in terms of possession, with the opposition rarely getting a second to think when they have the ball at their feet.

In terms of January additions, Muslic is the best of the lot; he has the Devonport dreaming, the Lyndhurst waxing lyrical, and the Mayflower… well they’re still moaning, but he can’t do anything about the cost of a pasty can he?