Plymouth Argyle exit will leave many at Home Park wondering 'What if?' | OneFootball

There was hope that Rami Al Hajj could thrive for Plymouth Argyle in League One, but that will remain a question of 'what if?' after his exit.

Plymouth Argyle supporters had high hopes for Rami Al Hajj to show his ability in League One next season after an underwhelming debut season, but they’re now left wondering ‘what if?’ after his recent departure.

The Swede joined the Pilgrims last summer for a hefty fee reportedly worth around £840,000 after impressing for Danish Superliga side Odense, but his stint in Devon didn’t go as planned, with inconsistency plaguing his opening 12 months at the club.

Despite this, many held out hope that Al Hajj could use his struggles to kick on next season, following Plymouth’s relegation to League One. However, that wouldn’t be the case, as he would depart the club just weeks before the start of the new campaign.

Speculation surrounding the 23-year-old started to rise on social media, before boss Tom Cleverley then confirmed that the attacking midfielder was closing in on a move elsewhere, which would bring his short time on the south coast to an abrupt end.

It was later announced that Al Hajj had returned to the Superliga with Silkeborg on a four-year deal. Of course, this move dashed any hopes of the midfielder showing his true ability in Green, and will leave supporters wondering ‘what if?’

Rami Al Hajj’s Plymouth Argyle stint didn’t go as planned

This time 12 months ago, the Green Army were preparing for a second consecutive season in the Championship after beating the drop on the final day of 2023/24, with a narrow 1-0 win over Hull City proving enough to maintain their second-tier status.

Now, with Wayne Rooney in charge, Plymouth were hopeful of steering clear of a relegation dogfight. To do so, they looked to the foreign market, and identified Al Hajj as an attacking midfield option who had high potential, and already possessed great technical ability, which caught Rooney’s eye.

His time at Argyle got off to a good start, with a superb goal in a 3-1 win over Luton Town in a televised fixture, but things would go downhill for the Swedish midfielder, as he struggled to adapt to the physical demands of English football.

Despite a strong start to 2025, which saw him score in back-to-back home matches, Al Hajj fell out of favour under new boss Miron Muslic. He was unable to break into the starting XI under the Bosnian-Austrian, ending the campaign with just three goals in 29 league outings, which was a wholesale disappointment.

Green Army will be left wondering ‘what if?’ after surprise Al Hajj departure

Despite a slow first season in England, relegation to League One raised hopes among the Plymouth faithful that the step-down could help Al Hajj thrive, showcasing his flair and technical ability that could help exploit third-tier defences, and regain his confidence in a side fighting at the top of the division.

However, these hopes were dashed when it was announced that the 23-year-old had left Home Park after less than a year, heading back to Denmark to link up with Silkeborg. This brought to an end a disappointing year in Devon, which certainly wasn’t what either party had hoped for when the attacking midfielder arrived in PL2 last August.

Al Hajj certainly didn’t live up to the reported £840,000 fee the Pilgrims paid for his services. However, there was still hope that the drop in League One could finally bring out that spark of quality that he failed to show in the Championship, and help the midfielder regain some of that confidence he lost.

Now the Swede has departed the club, there will always be the question of ‘what if?’ hanging over his head. The question of whether he would thrive in the third tier will never be answered, which will leave some supporters pondering if Argyle cashed in too early, and could live to regret their decision if they struggle for creativity with their new-look team next term.