Plymouth Argyle tipped to hit stumbling block if Notts County, Alassana Jatta pursuit renewed | OneFootball

FLW's Plymouth Argyle fan pundit has given his view on whether the club should target Notts County striker Alassana Jatta again in the summer.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Plymouth Argyle were unsuccessful in their attempts to bring Notts County striker Alassana Jatta to the club in the January transfer window.

According to The Guardian, Plymouth made a £750,000 bid for Jatta in January as they looked to bolster their squad for their battle against relegation from the Championship, but their offer was rejected as it fell short of Notts' valuation, which is believed to be more than £1 million.

Argyle were not the only club interested in Jatta during the winter window after his fine form at Meadow Lane this season, with Portsmouth and Bolton Wanderers also said to have been keen, but the Magpies were able to hold on to their star man.

Jatta joined Notts from Danish side Viborg last January for a fee of just over £100,000, and after scoring five goals in 10 games in the second half of last season, he has fired Stuart Maynard's side into automatic promotion contention in League Two this campaign.

Maynard admitted that he was "delighted" to have retained Jatta in January, praising him for maintaining his focus despite the speculation over his future, but the 26-year-old could attract attention once again in the summer.

Plymouth Argyle told to make renewed effort to sign Alassana Jatta this summer

When asked if the club should reignite their interest in Jatta in the summer, FLW's Plymouth Argyle fan pundit Chris said that the Gambia international would be an excellent signing for the Devon outfit, but he admitted that he was concerned he may now be out of the Pilgrims' price range.

"With Plymouth's current state of play, I believe we're in a good position to hold on to our Championship status at the end of the season," Chris told FLW.

"However, the recent injury to Ryan Hardie has shown how fragile our strike force currently is, and we relied on our centre-back, Maskym Talovierov, to score the equaliser against Luton in a crucial relegation battle.

"With that in mind, I believe reinforcements in the striking area will be required come the next transfer window.

"One target that will surely be at the forefront of our mind is Notts County striker Alassana Jatta.

"It was rumoured that we put in a bid of around £750,000 for the striker, who has been prolific in League Two, but this bid seems to have been turned down.

"The opportunity to continue his football in League Two and continue his scoring prowess could potentially help to increase his market value.

"I do believe that he would be a great addition to the squad, being a tall, powerful striker with plenty of pace and plenty of goalscoring form.

"However, the price tag may go up significantly, and that may rule us out of the opportunity to poach him."

Alassana Jatta would be a gamble worth taking for Plymouth Argyle

There is no guarantee that a player will be able to make the step up from League Two to a higher level, which has been shown by the stuggles of Macaulay Langstaff after swapping Notts County for Millwall in the summer, but Jatta would be a gamble worth taking for Plymouth, regardless of which division they are in next season.

Jatta has been in prolific form for the Magpies this season, but he has also shown plenty of impressive attributes in addition to his goalscoring, and as head coach Miron Muslic has implemented more of a direct style of football at Argyle since his arrival last month, Home Park could be the perfect destination for the striker.

As Chris says, Jatta's price tag is only likely to increase as he continues to score for Notts, but the Pilgrims are in need of a clinical number nine in the summer, and he will still be cheaper than many alternative options.