Notts County simply must fend off Plymouth Argyle's transfer advances at all costs | OneFootball

Plymouth Argyle have had a bid rejected for Alassana Jatta, and Notts must do all they can to keep their striker.

It’s fair to say that Alassana Jatta’s move to Notts County has been nothing short of a huge success.

The Gambian striker made the move to Nottingham on deadline day of the January transfer window last year and, after a short period spent adapting to the English game, has become arguably one of League Two’s most dangerous strikers.

Jatta showed flashes of his ability towards the end of last season, finishing the 2023/24 campaign with five goals and two assists from just ten League Two games.

This term, however, his form has hit another level, and he’s already notched 12 goals and four assists from just 20 league games.

With that in mind, it is really no surprise to learnt that Jatta has admirers further up the pyramid. Earlier today, reports from The Guardian suggested that Plymouth Argyle have had a £750,000 bid rejected by the Magpies, with fellow Championship outfit Portsmouth, as well as Bolton Wanderers also interested in the 26-year-old.

While the interest is yet another indication that Notts are going about their transfer business extremely well of late (Jatta is the latest of several Notts players to attract interest from other clubs in recent seasons), he is vitally important to Stuart Maynard’s side and should not be sold this winter, at any price.

Jatta is too important for Notts to lose

The sale of Macaulay Langstaff to Millwall last summer made it clear that Jatta had been brought to the club to act as the successor to the Teesider.

Given Langstaff’s astonishing goal record across his two seasons at Meadow Lane, this was no easy feat, but it’s fair to say Jatta has more than made up for the loss of Langstaff.

12 League Two goals already mean that the frontman is firmly in the race for the fourth tier’s golden boot this season, perhaps even more so now that Nathan Lowe has left Walsall.

Jatta’s importance to this Notts side extends far beyond just his goals though.

The Gambian is crucial to every aspect of the Magpies' play. Last season, Notts were too predictable at times and far too easy to rattle when pressed. They lacked an effective option to go more direct and bypass pressure from opposition teams, meaning they became quite easy to pen in at times.

As part of Stuart Maynard’s plans to shore up the defence this season, Notts have become ever so slightly more direct, and teams looking to press Notts relentlessly must now keep one eye on the long pass for Jatta to bring down.

The perfect example of this came in the win at Carlisle United back in October, when clever thinking from Alex Bass allowed Jatta to race through and score following a Notts goal kick. Bass remains one of just two ‘keepers to record an assist in League Two this term.

Notts are now a much tougher nut to crack than last season and, with Jatta in the side, they have that level of adaptability that can be so crucial for teams in League Two.

Jatta’s ability to hold the ball up and bring others into play means Notts are now more than capable of winning different kinds of games, even if an opposition team chooses to make it a battle.

His link-up with David McGoldrick is already proving fruitful. The 37-year-old looked tired and worn out towards the end of last season, but has been re-vitalised this term and is currently matching Jatta’s 12 league goals.

All in all, Jatta simply offers too much to Notts for them to lose him in the January window. If he was to depart Meadow Lane this month, they would have to react extremely quickly to find an adequate replacement.

Past events have shown they are more than capable of that, however losing Jatta would represent perhaps the biggest possible blow to their promotion push.

Notts don’t really need the money

The Guardian have reported that Notts would require a seven-figure offer before they would consider selling one of their key assets, hence why Plymouth’s bid of £750,000 has been rejected.

Those sorts of figures are undoubtedly huge money at League Two level, but right now it’s fair to say that Notts don’t really need the cash.

The Langstaff sale back in thr summer (believed to be for a fee in the region of £700,000 according to Football Insider), was followed up by the departures of Aaron Nemane and Dan Crowley, both for undisclosed fees.

As a result, Notts have already made a significant amount of money from player sales this season, so certainly won’t be in any desperate rush to accept forthcoming offers for Jatta.

Given that Jatta’s contract has just one year left to run at the end of this season, that stance could well change in the summer, depending on the league that Notts are in.

For now though, Notts must keep hold of their first-choice striker.

With Kyle Wootton and Ruben Rodrigues in the past, owners Christoffer and Alexander Reedtz have shown that they usually value a promotion push over some quick cash for their key players (although last week’s sale of Dan Crowley was an outlier).

It is imperative that this stance continues this winter, as losing Jatta midway through the season, with such little time to replace him, could end up being the difference between League One and League Two football at Meadow Lane next term.