Plymouth Argyle must regret January transfer decision after Cardiff City evidence | OneFootball

The Greens failed to add attacking options in the mid-season window, while the Bluebirds have Yousef Salech up top

Plymouth Argyle have a mountain to climb if they are going to get themselves out of the Championship relegation places between now and the end of the season, with the signs not looking promising for Miron Muslic’s men.

A 3-2 defeat to Derby County hammered another nail into the coffin before the international break, leaving them six points from safety with eight games remaining in the season, and a horrific goal difference to go with it.

A lack of defensive backbone and a struggle to score goals at the other end has cost the Devon outfit time and time again this season, with their efforts to bring in a new frontman in the January transfer window ultimately ending up fruitless.

With that in mind, the Pilgrims will be posing a rueful eye over at Cardiff City right now, with the Bluebirds adding a regular source of goals to their ranks for the second-half of the campaign.

Plymouth Argyle fail in January striker hunt after Alassana Jatta, Mason Burstow setbacks

Argyle’s search for a new striker was well-publicised throughout the January transfer window, with a number of targets proving to be out of the Greens’ reach throughout the month.

Notts County forward Alassana Jatta was reported to be a key target at one point in the month, with a £750,000 bid proposed to the Magpies, only for the League Two side to reject any advances from the Championship strugglers.

A reluctance to head towards the seven-figure fee that County wanted saw that deal dead in the water, before things looked like they could click into gear around transfer deadline day, before all paths reached a dead-end once again.

Hull City’s Mason Burstow was said to have been lined up in a final swoop before the window slammed shut, only for Ruben Selles to step in and stop any move to a direct relegation rival.

Not only that, but news came out once the deadline had passed that Eredivisie outfit Waalwijk had been approached ahead of a deal for top scorer Oskar Zawada, only for the player to reject a move to Home Park.

As a result, no extra firepower was brought in, and with Ryan Hardie, Michael Obafemi and Muhamed Tijani all suffering with their own respective injury issues, options have been limited for Muslic since his arrival, with performances suffering as a result.

A 5-1 trouncing of Millwall aside, the Pilgrims have struggled to break teams down as Mustapha Bundu continues to plough a furrow up top, with the Sierra Leone international being Argyle’s main source of inspiration over the past few weeks.

You can’t help but think one more face in the final third may have made all the difference in the second-half of the campaign, with any early momentum under Muslic seemingly lost of late.

Plymouth Argyle will be jealous of Yousef Salech, Cardiff City form

As Argyle struggle to find the back of the net after failing to add to their squad in January, it must be even more gruelling to see a side in Cardiff City begin to grab more goals after adding a striker of their own at the start of the year.

Yousef Salech has thrived since making the Welsh capital his home two months ago, with his physical presence up top giving the Bluebirds plenty of hope of avoiding the drop when the season comes to a close.

Five goals in 12 league matches has seen the Dane mark an instant impact in his new surroundings, with his latest coming in a 2-1 victory over Blackburn Rovers last time out.

Argyle themselves have been on the receiving end of the new signing’s prowess in front of goal, after the 23-year-old opened the scoring when the two sides played out a 1-1 draw at Home Park last month.

That day summer up Argyle’s performances of late, with plenty of huff and puff leading to little actual threat on the opposition’s goal throughout the 90 minutes, despite the visitors playing the majority of the second-half with ten men.

The added impetus of new blood in the final third could have brought the best out of Argyle as an attacking unit between now and May, just like Salech is doing at the Cardiff City Stadium, with six points earned through his contributions in blue so far.

The Pilgrims will likely have plenty of regrets throughout the season, but failing to add another attacker to the squad looks to have left them high and dry as the season draws towards a close, with relegation rivals profiting from investment when the opportunity arose.