Plymouth Argyle can view Blackburn Rovers transfer as risk-free | OneFootball

The midfielder left Home Park for Ewood Park earlier this month, but the Greens won't feel too disappointed about the departure

Plymouth Argyle waved goodbye to Adam Forshaw earlier this month, with the former Leeds United man packing his bags and moving to Blackburn Rovers after just 12 months at Home Park.

Having joined this time last year, the midfielder started life in Devon with a spring in his step and added an extra bit of quality into the midfield that the Pilgrims needed at the time, but his influence had begun to wane as we headed into 2025.

With just seven league starts in green all season, it was clear to see that the 33-year-old wasn’t getting a look in at Home Park, with the duo of Darko Gyabi and Adam Randell preferred in that role, with Forshaw having no choice but to watch on from afar.

Therefore, the Green Army won’t be shedding any tears over the loss of the former Middlesbrough man this month, with replacements likely to be coming through the door before too long, while the recent emergence of a homegrown talent will also help to soften the blow.

Adam Forshaw’s Plymouth Argyle departure was on the cards

While Forshaw and Argyle cited the reason that the midfielder wanted to be closer to his family for the reason he departed Home Park, the fact that he had become nothing more than a bit-part player in Devon will likely have contributed in pushing him out the door.

In truth, the midfielder hasn’t been trusted by either his manager or the fanbase since the start of the season, when a reckless red card left the Greens up against it in one of their early away games at Queens Park Rangers, with over an hour still left to play with ten men.

That lack of faith in a player to be able to help the side when they need it the most left Forshaw playing second fiddle in to Messrs Randell and Gyabi for much of the campaign, with a perceived lack of mobility not helping his cause for extra game time as the season progressed.

With his well-documented injury concerns from his past, there was always plenty of worry about whether the ex-Norwich City man could deal with the struggles and strains of a Championship season on the wrong side of 30, and there were plenty of occasions the Green Army could point to where they would come to the conclusion that ‘his legs have gone'.

Having only completed 90 minutes three times all season - once in the opening day humiliation at Sheffield Wednesday, as well as similar humblings on the road at Leeds United and Bristol City - Argyle are better off not paying his considerable wage, which Capology estimated to be club-high £15,000 per week during his time in Devon, and spending that money elsewhere for the next few months of the season.

Plymouth Argyle can make Adam Forshaw improvement in January transfer window

While there is no doubting Forshaw’s credentials as a top Championship performer during his career, that has been less and less evident in recent years, with struggles at Argyle and Norwich beforehand pointing to a career on a slow decline.

With that in mind, the decision to pay him up in January is one that the Greens will likely look upon favourably come the end of the season, with new recruits likely to be brought in before the end of the January transfer window.

Having already smashed their club record transfer fee to bring playmaker Michael Baidoo [pictured] to the club from Elfsborg this month, Argyle are proving that they mean business in their attempts to stay in the second tier, with another body in a deeper position likely to be added before the deadline for deals on February 3.

As well as that, Saturday’s FA Cup victory over Brentford proved that the Pilgrims don’t have to look all that far for another player capable of making the step-up in the middle of the park when needed, with academy graduate Caleb Roberts shining against Premier League opposition throughout the 90 minutes.

While he may not have the passing acumen that Forshaw possesses at this stage in his career, Roberts more than made up for it with his boundless energy and enthusiasm in restraining the Bees at the Gtech Community Stadium; a trait that the new Blackburn Rovers man hasn’t always demonstrated ample amounts of in the past.

While John Eustace may have another role for his new recruit in a side that aim for incisive passing moves to devastate their opposition on the break, it was plain for all to see that Forshaw and Argyle weren’t the greatest of matches over the past six months, and as a result the midfielder’s loss won’t be felt too heavily on the banks of the River Tamar.