Plymouth Argyle should look to Leyton Orient to solve Morgan Whittaker issue: View | OneFootball

It all went so right, and then so wrong for Plymouth Argyle this season, with the Greens currently finding themselves fighting for their future as a Championship club.

The Pilgrims started their return to the second tier with a spring in their step, and were regularly giving sides a run for their money with their all-out attacking style of play.

But December and January hit the Devon club hard, with first Steven Schumacher departing the club for fellow Championship strugglers Stoke City, before a swathe of loanees returned to their parent clubs.

Ian Foster’s ill-fated spell in charge of the club barely helped to stem the flow at Home Park, while the January recruits brought in to fill the voids left in the attacking third haven’t been up to scratch.

Neil Dewsnip and his recruitment team will look to address this issue in the off-season - whichever division they find themselves in - and there will have been more than a passing glance thrown towards Leyton Orient and their own recent arrival in the past few weeks.

Ollie O’Neill catches the eye for Leyton Orient after Fulham FC move

Ollie O’Neill only moved to the Gaughan Group Stadium in the most recent transfer window from Fulham, but the 21-year-old has already proved himself to be one of the best operators at the level after a string of outstanding performances for the O’s.

The Irishman has immediately made himself a prominent figure in Richie Wellens’ plans for the East London side, with five goals in his 15 appearances helping to prolong Orient’s playoff push in their first seasons back in the third tier.

With his elegance on the ball and ability to glide along the turf, O’Neill has added an extra dimension to his new side’s attacking output in the past three months, having laid on three more goals for his teammates.

After a spatter of substitute appearances as he got used to his new colleagues, O’Neill got off the mark with a goal against Northampton Town, in a match where he caused constant problems for the Cobblers.

The playmaker’s ability to change direction in a flash has left all manner of League One defences struggling to keep up with him this year, and Town were no different that day; with his constant cutting inside allowing opportunities for shots on goal to be unleashed.

The third tier can offer the perfect platform for young talents to showcase their potential, and O’Neill has already proved he is a step above the level; with his vision, control and game-reading ability helping to lay shooting opportunities on for his teammates, as well as create space for himself.

Another goal and assist against Oxford United proved his capabilities once more; with a finish from a compact penalty area helping his side restore parity, before contributing to the attack that saw George Moncur net the winner in a 2-1 victory.

His recent strike against Cheltenham Town has been the pick of the bunch though, as he picked up the ball on the edge of the penalty area, before unleashing a unstoppable curled effort into the far corner; the sort of strike you can see gracing the Championship in the next campaign.

It’s not just his prowess with the ball that will have endeared himself to Orient fans, but his tenacity to win the ball back high up the pitch has contributed to a number of goals this season, with his quick-thinking mind allowing him to nab the ball off defenders before bearing down on goal.

Ollie O’Neill contract information

After signing a two-and-a-half-year deal with the O’s in January, O’Neill is scheduled to be an Orient player until the summer of 2026, but after such early promising form it would be hard to see him lasting that long in East London.

Plenty of clubs higher up the football pyramid will have been casting an eye over his form in recent weeks, and Argyle will need all the attacking personnel they can get their hands on ahead of the next campaign.

With Finn Azaz [pictured] and Luke Cundle moving on in January, the Greens are short of a body or two in the final third as it stands, which has hindered their chances of staying in the division with a series of goalless performances of late.

Having reportedly failed in their attempts to lure Reading’s Femi Azeez to the club in January, the Devon side will be looking to right some wrongs over the summer, and O’Neill could be the perfect fit in a side that is looking to go back to its attacking style under current interim boss Neil Dewsnip.

Any further proceedings with Morgan Whittaker could also play a part in the urgency for goalscoring talents, with Argyle’s main marksman rumoured to be subject to plenty of interest from Premier League sides ahead of the summer.

It may only be early days in his Orient career, but O’Neill has already proven himself to be hot property, and if the Greens do come into some money from the sale of Whittaker splashing some of that cash on a player destined for bigger things would be a wise move.

If Championship survival is secured, O’Neill has already shown plenty of promise that he would be able to operate at a higher level, and he would be a welcome addition into a side looking to return to their free scoring ways.