Pilgrim's Progress

Impressive season, regardless of how the final two games will turn out. You might count yourself lucky to see Leverkusen in the Champions League final though. I suppose that's not the hardest of possible opponents regardless of their impressive form under Xabi Alonso in real life. Good luck with the treble attempt.

Defeat in the FA Cup

Plymouth’s attempt at a clean sweep of trophies was denied by a West Ham team that have proved difficult opponents for Argyle in the past.

West Ham won 1-0 in the FA Cup final, as the Hammers mounted an aggressive assault, countered by some strong tackling by the Argyle players.  Neither side was able to slot home, with a number of frustrating attempts by both sides.   However, the Hammers finally scored in the 78th minute with a Jarrod Bowen effort, after which Argyle were simply unable to get another shot on goal, and the Cup went to East London for the first time since 1980. 

Manager Robert Stones was philosophical after the match.  "We tried our best but it was a match too far.  These things happen"  In answer to the suggestion that the players were too focused on the upcoming Champions League Final, he was dismissive.  "We don't do that here.  We take each game as it comes.  The best team, won today.  It's as simple as that."

So now Argyle travel to Portugal, for the biggest match in their history at the Benfica stadium - the Estádio da Luz.

"I see in the original squads of Plymouth Argyle #10 Morgan Whittaker and he appeared on my radar: would he be an asset for Ajax as right winger or attacking midfielder? Have you played him and if so, what are his stand out features?"

- Kelvin de Lang (Head Scout Ajax)

Champions League A Step too Far

Following the disappointment of the FA Cup loss, Plymouth Argyle saw the Champions League title also slip away from them, as Bayer Leverkuen’s greater experience in the competition told.  Argyle went down 1-0, an identical score to the FA Cup Final against West Ham.

The city of Plymouth seemingly emptied and travelled en masse to Portugal, where they saw their team dominate at the Estadio Da Luz and have so many shots, but come away empty-handed.  Leverkusen’s Sebastian Haller scored just before half time and in the second half, the Germans did what they always do and simply blocked all attempts for Argyle to get back into it, to win their own first Champions League title and send the Devon side and their fans home empty-handed.

“We simply couldn’t get over the line,” said manager Bobby Stones, “but it’s been a fantastic experience.”  Gesturing at the fans, he added “look at them.  Three years ago, they could never have dreamt of this.  Okay, we lost this, and the Cup last week, but what a night this has been.  Hopefully, this isn’t the last time we get here.”

Despite losing in both cup matches, Argyle had a successful season, with two trophies secured and the promise of more, as this young squad matures.

Saka Signs for Plymouth

Plymouth Argyle have sensationally signed Bukayo Saka from rivals Arsenal in what is considered to be the shock transfer of the close season.

Saka had only 11 months left on his contract and, with a stalemate apparent, Plymouth swooped with an offer of £75 million plus Roberto Alvarado.  Amazingly, Arsenal did not dismiss the approach out of hand and, after some further discussions, Saka moved for £84 million plus Alvarado – a considerable reduction on his expected value of £140 million.  Saka has signed for 5 years, on a salary of £220,000 per week.

“Bukayo’s signing is a clear statement that this club is now a desirable destination for big players.”  Said manager Bobby Stones.  “He was keen to join from the very first moment we approached Arsenal, and is eager to play a big role in the ongoing development of this club.”

To questions raised about affordability of this deal, Stones said; “the success we are having has led to a big increase in income and the board is investing a responsible proportion of that in the club.  Ongoing squad investment is key in football and we are not losing sight of that.”

Another crucial signing was made soon after the Sako transfer, with Fabio Miretti joining from Roma for £39 million plus Erick Sanchez. 

Miretti is expected to slot into Sanchez's position at the base of the diamond, but can play further forward as required.  This second crucial signing reduces the age of the midfield and meets a demand from the board that the manager signs two crucial players for brand purposes.

The close season saw a number of other transfers at Plymouth; mainly outgoings.

Gonzalo Molina, 17, joined as a right-back from CD Leganes for £5 million plus Carlos Rocha.  Rocha was a graduate of the academy, and slightly older than the incoming Molina, but Molina is seen as a better future prospect.

Otherwise, the Pilgrims sold the following players:

Jesus Anguelo (CB, 28) to Dortmund for £30 million

Fran Parra (GK, 21) to Nottingham Forest for £19 million

Yago Carillo (RM, 21) to Everton for £9 million

Fabio Ricci (ST, 20) to Young Boys for £2 million. 

The club does not expect to make many more signings this summer, although there may be more departures at some point.

Shirt Sales Justify Saka Spend

During the preseason tournament, Argyle sold over £34 million-worth of shirts with Bukayo Saka’s name on the back – a record for the club.  In financial terms, that has significantly reduced the cash outlay of £84 million handed over to Arsenal when buying the player.  In the coming months, it is expected that the number of shirts ‘he sells’ will continue to rise, partly explaining the manager’s comments about Saka’s affordability.

Mixed Start for Argyle

Plymouth started the Premier League season with two wins and a defeat.  A narrow away victory to Crystal Palace was followed by an opening home match defeat by Aston Villa, as the old jinx returned.  Despite taking the lead and having most possession and shots, Argyle somehow never seemed in command and Villa ran out winners 3-1, aided by a very suspicious penaly for their third goal.

Normal service was resumed with a routine 2-0 win at Brentford, leaving Argyle 7th at the end of August.

Prior to that, the Pilgrims won the first trophy up for grabs when they beat FA Cup holders West Ham 4-1 in the Community Shield, gaining some revenge for their FA Cup Final loss.

Saka Out for Three Months

The Villa defeat was made worse by the 5th minute injury to Bukayo Saka, which resulted in a broken toe that will keep him out for 3 months.  It was a blow for Saka so early in his Argyle career and we wish him a speedy recovery.

Final August Squad Moves

Argyle wrapped up their transfer dealings ahead of deadline day with the surprise £6 million signing of Adam Wharton, 22, from Girona.  The CDM joins on a 4-year contract and will compete with Miretti and youngster Oliver Kuhn for a starting role in that position.

At the same time, Argyle promoted Andres Meza, 17, to the first team. 

The Columbian goalkeeper effectively replaces the departed Fran Parra in the roster of goalkeepers.

Unfortunate defeat in the FA Cup final there. It seems you got your revenge in the Community Shield though, kicked off by a hattrick.

Quite a marquee signing there, in Bukayo Saka. You may need to post a picture of him in an Argyle shirt at some point though. It could be a "need to see it to believe it" situation otherwise 😉 Unfortunate to lose him for 3 months though.

3 wins in the first 4 games (including the curtain raiser) is a great start. Just goes to show who far Argyle has come, when you allow yourself to called it a mixed one.

'Remember the summer of '26 when Plymouth took the title?...'

I'll tell you a funny story: about a year ago, an Englishman started living in our neighbourhood, the East End of Krakow, Poland (called Nowa Huta). We immediately clicked, to the degree that I'm best man at his wedding, come July. Now, he himself is from one of the outside boroughs of London, but his father is actually from Plymouth.

I met the good man (a school teacher) a couple of weeks back and while in conversation, he constantly checked his phone to check upon the score of the match Plymouth was playing against WBA (a 3-0 loss, I believe). Of course, ever since I've been keeping an extra eye on The Pilgrims.