Plymouth Argyle may have Klaidi Lolos regret after Bolton Wanderers move: View | OneFootball

It's safe to say his meteoric rise wasn't predicted during his time at Home Park

Highlights

Watching Klaidi Lolos performing at his best in the League Two play-off final last season, Plymouth Argyle fans’ feelings may have been bittersweet.

The Argyle academy graduate’s freedom and creativity in the final third had been on show throughout the whole of the 23/24 season, as he netted 13 goals and contributed to five more for his teammates.

The Greek star earned a move to Bolton Wanderers off the back of his first full season in the EFL, and looks set to light up League One as part of a Trotters side ready to mount another promotion push.

And with that, Argyle may look back with regret at pulling the plug on his career at Home Park too early, with the playmaker having to rise back up through the non-league ranks to where he is today.

Klaidi Lolos earns Crawley Town redemption after Plymouth Argyle departure

In truth, Lolos was never given a fair crack of the whip during his time in Devon, as he made just 12 league appearances for the Pilgrims, and failed to start a single league game during his time in green.

Instead, the forward was loaned out to local non-league sides Chippenham Town and Dorchester Town, but despite showing promise, the decision was made to cut ties with the forward in the summer of 2021.

The release from a Football League club at such an early age can have a devastating effect on many a footballer’s career, with the majority struggling to find the motivation to carry on and drifting through the non-league circuit.

But that setback seemed to be the making of Lolos, as the comfort blanket that had always been surrounding him was quickly stripped back, and he had to make his own fortune in the game.

After a less than satisfying spell at Torquay United, it was the move to Oxford City that lit the touch paper on his journey back up the football pyramid, with 16 goals in 36 appearances for the National League South side.

As impressive as that was, many were taken aback when Crawley Town made the move to sign him last summer, as the Red Devils set about scouring the best talent from below the fourth tier, and successfully moulding them into a team capable of pushing towards the top of the tree.

With Scott Lindsey’s [pictured] magic touch in the dugout, Lolos was one of many who rose to the occasion for the Sussex outfit over the past 12 months, with his flair and unpredictability proving too hot to handle on his return to the Football League.

That was fully evident once again on the grandest stage of them all in May, as he helped Town return to the third tier, in what was one of the EFL’s fairytale stories of the season.

It was also something of the perfect ending to Lolos’ personal redemption tale, as by his own admission, the parting of ways with Argyle so early in his career forced him to mature and set his sights on proving himself in the lower reaches of the game.

“I was young and naïve back then when I was first in the league,” he said.

“I did take what I had for granted and once it did get taken away from me, I sort of told myself it's now or never. So, I gave it all I had and from then on up until now it has gone well, and I will keep striving to get better and better.”

Lolos thrives as Plymouth Argyle falter in the Championship

The irony of Lolos’ fearlessness on the biggest stage while Argyle struggled to create anything wouldn’t have been lost on those at Home Park, who had to endure a relegation battle that went down to the final game of the season due to their inability to break down opposition defences.

It would have been some punt at the time to gamble on Lolos coming full circle like he has done, but when the times got tough, a player with his willingness to try the unexpected can prove to be the difference.

With that in mind, the Pilgrims may be ruing not giving the player some tough love during his time at Home Park, and giving him the chance to prove himself on a more regular basis.

More often than not, the decision-makers in PL2 have got it right when it comes to releasing young stars who fail to make the grade, which must make the ones that slip through the net even tougher to take.

Having completed a move to Bolton Wanderers this summer, Lolos’ journey doesn’t look like stopping anytime soon, which must leave Argyle wondering what could have been if he stayed on the books just a little longer.

Whether he would have flourished in a green shirt, or produced the goods on loan elsewhere and the club received a transfer fee for him, Argyle may be looking back with regret as one of their own flourishes in the Football League.