Plymouth Argyle should pinch Ryan Lowe target from under Preston’s nose: View | OneFootball

Plymouth Argyle will have a busy summer ahead of them whether they can retain their Championship status or not.

Fabrizio Romano is already reporting that Brighton and Hove Albion’s Marc Leonard is a possible target for the Devonshire club.

Preston North End are also in the hunt for the youngster and Argyle should definitely rival their former manager Ryan Lowe for Leonard.

Argyle getting one over a familiar face

Plymouth have seen two beloved managers depart in the middle of the season in as many years.

Ryan Lowe was the first to do so, making the jump up from League One to the Championship. It was then the turn of Steven Schumacher, Lowe’s former assistant, who also took Wolverhampton Wanderer’s loanee Luke Cundle with him to Stoke City.

Schumacher is in the relegation battle alongside Argyle currently, whereas Lowe has Preston safely in mid-table after a faltered play-off push.

Lowe even attempted to poach his namesake, Scottish striker Ryan Hardie, in a bid to rub further salt into the Argyle wounds.

The Green Army will certainly be happy that the former Blackpool man stayed put and now will be hoping that their club will return the favour, hijacking any advances from Preston to sign the aforementioned Leonard.

Promising Brighton talent attracting interest

Leonard has spent the last two years on loan at Northampton Town, impressing in the midfield and growing as a player in this period.

He is only 22 at the moment and the youngster from Glasgow helped guide the Cobblers to promotion out of League Two last year.

Leonard contributed just a goal and an assist in that successful season and has clearly enjoyed the step-up to a higher level, rising to the occasion in both metrics.

11 goal contributions represents a very respectable return to date for a midfield that has the versatility to go between being defensive, central, and attacking also.

Throughout his young career, Leonard has displayed this diversity and, given the issues that Argyle are currently experiencing in the middle of the park, he would certainly be a welcome addition.

Leeds United loanee Darko Gyabi has suffered injuries since arriving at the Theatre of Greens and Alfie Devine has failed to live up to the expectations. After all, he was dubbed as the Finn Azaz replacement during Ian Foster’s brief spell in charge.

Academy graduate Adam Randell along with experienced duo Jordan Houghton and Adam Forshaw are a superb trio for the next Argyle manager to have at their disposal, but Leonard can add a new layer to that, both in the present and the future as well.

His career to date may only bare a small sample size, but a Championship move is surely the next step for the midfielder.

Brighton have become known for their superb scouting in recent years, picking up completely unknown players and then selling them off for big fees shortly after.

Chelsea pairing Moises Caicedo and Marc Cucurella are prime examples of this as is Liverpool’s Alexis MacAllister, with his fellow countryman Valentin Barco sure to be the next in that impressive production line.

Combining the Seagulls' factors with what Leonard has displayed in a Northampton shirt at such a young age, and Plymouth would be silly not to rival Lowe and Preston for his signature.