Football League World
·14 October 2024
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·14 October 2024
The striker has already made an impact since joining from the Clarets on a season-long loan
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…
Michael Obafemi has enjoyed a bright start to life at Plymouth Argyle, with the Burnley loanee nothing his first goal for the club in last weekend’s 2-1 victory over Blackburn Rovers.
The striker is starting to establish himself at the top of the pecking order in terms of forwards that Wayne Rooney has it his disposal, having started each of the previous two matches in which he has been available.
After missing out on the trip to Turf Moor to play against his former club, the frontman has played influential roles against Rovers and Luton Town in his previous two outings, and looks like another shrewd addition by the Argyle recruitment team this summer.
With that in mind, we spoke to Football League World’s Argyle fan pundit Chris about the chances of the club signing the frontman on a permanent deal in the future, given his chances of first-team football with the Clarets.
After starting life as an Argyle player with cameo appearances off the bench, Obafemi’s inclusion as a starter has garnered three victories out of three for the Greens so far, with his influence on proceedings growing by the week.
The former Southampton man was first given the nod by Rooney in his side’s 3-2 victory over Sunderland, where he played the first hour, before playing a huge part in setting up the Greens’ opener in their 3-1 victory over Luton last month.
Starting on the left-hand side of attack, the forward’s centre into Ryan Hardie allowed the Scot to tee up Rami Al Hajj for the game’s opening goal, while his industry down the flank caused the Hatters no end of problems.
A well-taken first goal for the club against Rovers last time out made it three straight wins at Home Park for the Pilgrims, with a first-time strike getting him off the mark in green, and further adding to his reputation among the Green Army.
The move to Devon has worked out well for all parties so far, and Chris has been delighted by what he has seen from the Clarets loanee.
The Argyle fan pundit said: “The loan signing for Michael Obafemi from Burnley, was both a positive move for Argyle and Michael Obafemi himself.
“So far, although he has only scored a single goal, which was the first goal against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, he has shown that he is a very capable and very knowledgeable striker.
“He is showing that he is able to get in to all the right positions, and is happy taking defenders on when needed.
“With that in mind, if there was potential interest from both himself and Argyle to sign him on a permanent deal, I believe that this would be a very positive step for both of us.
“First of all for the club; getting a Championship-proven striker, and one that also adds an extra dynamic to the club.
“And for him, being able to be under the tutorship of Wayne Rooney, as well as having a firm grounding to get regular first-team football, would be undoubtedly a great step for him.”
After a number of bright performances, there is no question that Obafemi has added that extra bit of Championship nous that Argyle have been calling out for in the final third of late.
Whether it is his positional play, his awareness to bring others into the game, or his goalscoring instinct when presented an opportunity, the 24-year-old is beginning to thrived both as the main striker, and in a wider position.
With that in mind, talk of a permanent transfer could well be on the cards, although Chris is unsure whether the club would be able to afford such a talented attacker at this moment in time.
The Greens have prided themselves on not spending above their means in recent seasons, and with the Clarets likely to demand a hefty fee for Obafemi, the Argyle fan is unsure whether a deal could get over the line.
He continued: “So far, he has had a fair number of loan moves to different clubs. With this in mind, I believe a value would be somewhere between £1-2 million would be a fair price to pay for him.
“However, it is unlikely that Burnley would allow him to go for such a value, I believe they would want to hold out for a much higher valuation, with their intentions to move up to the Premier League, and requiring additional funds to fund that.”