"Does have a knock-on effect" - Plymouth Argyle worry outlined over Wayne Rooney's budget | OneFootball

Football League World's Plymouth Argyle fan pundit outlines the Pilgrims' biggest issue

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Plymouth Argyle currently sit 18th in the Championship table, but are above the relegation zone by just one point, despite earning four points from their last two games prior to the November international break.

After winning the League One title in 2023, the Pilgrims avoided relegation back to the third tier by just one point last season, and are looking to endure a more comfortable season this time around.

The upcoming January transfer window could present Argyle with an opportunity to bolster their squad, amid the battle for the all-important feat of Championship survival.

Plymouth Argyle playing budget revealed as concern ahead of January

With this in mind, Football League World asked our Pilgrims fan pundit, Chris, what the biggest issue at his club is right now, and what he thinks is the best solution to fix it.

Chris pointed towards the Argyle playing budget being one of the smaller ones in the Championship as to a potential problem, especially when it comes to the looming January transfer window and battling rivals for targets.

"It's no great secret that Argyle have one of the smallest budgets of any Championship club this season," Chris told FLW.

"Although we are one of the most financially stable clubs in the Championship, it does have a knock-on effect in relation to what investment opportunities we can make at the transfer window.

"Come that may, when we get to the January transfer window, we need to have a lot more players brought in, in relation to our squad depth, as well as enhancing our defensive capabilities, particularly with Championship proven players, rather than our usual strategy of looking further afield.

"However, the difficulty we have is pure finances, as many Championship proven players, particularly defenders, will ask for a premium costing, particularly in relation to their wages, as well as purchasing from other Championship clubs (will) maybe represent a higher fee required.

"One of the big issues, therefore, is our budget available to us.

"However, the biggest solution to that is looking for outside investment.

"It's no big secret as well, that Simon Hallett has been on the hunt for various investors to look at helping to bolster the finances of the club, showing how very economically sustainable it is, but also showing our potential, as part of our five-year plan was to be touching on the edges of the elite Premier (League) teams, rather than sitting here in the Championship right now.

"Hopefully, we'll be able to secure additional investment in the club, and therefore have more money available to us, to invest in squad depth, and in this case, and our January transfer window, our defensive abilities."

Argyle were only promoted from League Two to League One in 2020, and promotion from the third tier to the Championship followed in 2023.

So, perhaps it is no surprise that the Pilgrims boast a smaller budget than their second tier rivals, many of whom have plied their trade in the Premier League in recent years.

And as alluded to by Chris, Argyle club owner Hallett is seeking financial support from a new investor, amid his aspirations to compete for top-flight football, as reported by the Plymouth Herald.

Perhaps external investment will be easier to come by in the coming months, as the Devon outfit are going to be the subject of a TV documentary, according to BBC Sport.

But in the meantime, boss Wayne Rooney will be eager to utilise the January transfer window in an effort to bolster a leaky defence which has conceded a concerning total of 26 goals in just 15 matches so far this term.

Even bottom side Queens Park Rangers have conceded fewer goals than Argyle this term, while only newly-promoted Portsmouth, currently in the bottom three, have conceded more.

Bringing in defenders who are experienced at Championship level must be a priority for the Pilgrims this January, although their tight budget presents a unique challenge amid the battle for second tier survival.