Plymouth Argyle managing to beat Middlesbrough and Stoke to transfer could be a masterstroke: View | OneFootball

Plymouth Argyle recently made their first permanent signing of the transfer window after convincing left-back Matthew Sorinola to join after the player was released by Belgian club Union SG.

Englishman Sorinola hadn't made a single appearance for Union SG this season, and with the club flying high at the top of the Belgian Pro League, they saw fit to terminate his contract early so that the ex-MK Dons man could pursue other playing opportunities.

Championship clubs wasted no time in trying to sign the 22-year-old, with TEAMtalk reporting that he was attracting the interest of Middlesbrough, Stoke, Preston and Southampton the day after his release.

However, it was the Pilgrims who managed to get a deal over the line for the ex-Swansea loanee, and it could prove to be a significant coup as Ian Foster's side look to move up the Championship table.

Plymouth Argyle is the right club for Matthew Sorinola

Sorinola hasn't started a game of football since March 11th 2023 during his loan spell at Swansea City, so it was crucial that he was guaranteed regular minutes wherever he moved this month.

It's been a tough couple of months for the youngster with him failing to feature in any of Swansea's last eight games of the 2022/23 campaign before making the matchday squad just once for Union SG this season, failing to play a single minute.

This means that it may take the youngster a couple of games to get up to speed at Home Park, but in the long-term, the Pilgrims should reap the rewards of Sorinola's signing.

The left-back made 31 appearances for Swansea last season, scoring twice and registering three assists. Sorinola started all but one game for the club prior to the World Cup break, but found regular game time harder to come by during the second part of the season.

Despite this, the 22-year-old showed glimpses of what he was capable of, putting in a man-of-the-match performance against Blackpool in February, where he scored one and put a dangerous cross into the box, leading to an own goal.

The Argyle faithful will need to be patient with Sorinola - he's only a youngster and hasn't played for a long period. However, given some time, he should grow into a good player.

As a youngster signed on a free, the Argyle board will know that if Sorinola performs well, that they could potentially cash in on him in a couple of years' time, making it a smart move from a financial point of view.

The rest of the season for Plymouth Argyle

As it stands, it looks unlikely that the club will be drawn into a relegation battle, but it's important the club continue to pick up points to pull away from the relegation zone.

The club were dealt multiple blows at the start of the window with the news that players like Finn Azaz, Luke Cundle, Kaine Kesler-Hayden and Lewis Warrington were being recalled from their loans at the club.

This has meant that the club have had to move quickly to make signings they weren't probably expecting to make this month.

It's been a busy week or so for the club with Sorinola and Adam Forshaw joining on a permanent basis and Ashley Philips, Darko Gyabi and Alfie Devine joining on loan. However, Argyle supporters will be pleased with their recent business and should be confident going into the second-half of the season.

It's set to be an exciting end to the campaign for Argyle and players like Sorinola are expected to show just why the club were so determined to sign him amid Championship interest from clubs higher up the league.