5 ideal Finn Azaz replacements Plymouth Argyle must consider | OneFootball

Highlights

Plymouth Argyle fans have been left gutted by Aston Villa's decision to recall loan star Finn Azaz from his temporary spell at Home Park before selling him to Championship rivals Middlesbrough - and it's left Pilgrims chiefs with a lot of added work to do before the January deadline.

The Devonshire side loaned Azaz for their League One stint last season, where he scored eight goals from midfield under Steven Schumacher to help the club clinch the League One title ahead of Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday in what was arguably one of the strongest League One title races of all-time.

With Schumacher himself departing for Stoke City and Luke Cundle also being recalled by Wolves to join him in Staffordshire, it's left fans wondering about the future of the club - but Football League World takes a look at five dream replacements for Azaz amid the clubs' mid-season crisis.

Han-Noah Massengo

Massengo is no stranger to the West Country having spent four years with Bristol City in the Championship from the ages of 18 to 22.

A total of 99 appearances in the second-tier Robins proves that he already has outstanding experience at this level, and that simply is what Plymouth need if they are to avoid being dragged into a relegation battle.

Massengo is currently on the books at Burnley after a summer move to Turf Moor but he has still yet to feature in the Premier League for the Clarets. With Sander Berge, Josh Brownhill, Josh Cullen and Aaron Ramsey all ahead of him in the pecking order, the Frenchman could well be afforded the second half of the season to prove himself at Home Park.

Conor Coventry

Ian Foster's appointment at Plymouth could well mean that a number of English youth stars are given the chance to go from Premier League obscurity to prove themselves in the Championship.

Coventry is a prime example; the Ireland international came through the ranks at West Ham, though he's only made one appearance for the Hammers and with a number of loan spells - notably at Peterborough and Rotherham in the second-tier - he's proven he can cut it at this level. With his contract up in the summer, Plymouth could even broker a cheap deal to sign Coventry on a permanent deal with Azaz leaving for the north east.

Tim Iroegbunam

Another youth star who isn't able to break through the Premier League barrier but has experience in the Championship, Iroegbunam is a name that Foster will know well having featured for the England under-19 and under-20 teams. The Aston Villa man impressed last season at Queens Park Rangers, and with stars such as Douglas Luiz and John McGinn to break ahead of, he'll likely not be given a chance at Villa Park.

Plymouth could offer him a real chance at first-team football in the south west.

Cameron Brannagan

Brannagan has lit up League One for a number of years but he's failed to secure a move to the second-tier despite being one of the star players of the division for quite some time.

An outstanding tally in League One for Oxford United over the years has seen him feared by almost every defence at the Kassam Stadium, but a horrid run of form recently means it could be now or never to achieve promotion with the U’s. If Plymouth come in with a bid for the 27-year-old, he could well make the switch further south - though Oxford may play hardball.

Jamie Shackleton

Shackleton was unfortunate in the sense that Leeds' promotion to the Premier League in 2020 meant that the club likely outgrew his potential at the time. He was a key performer for the Whites when they were last promoted to the top-flight, and a following run of just 27 Premier League appearances followed before a loan switch to Millwall last season.

With Plymouth having a strong home record, they could still claim scalps at home to clubs such as Ipswich, Leicester and West Brom in the coming months - and Leeds choosing to send him down to Home Park could be a masterstroke for both sides.