"Surprising" - Plymouth Argyle player exit claim made after January window slams shut | OneFootball

The 22-year-old has struggled for game time due to a whole host of injury issues

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 busy in the winter transfer window, with new boss Miron Muslic getting the chance to immediately put his own stamp on the Pilgrims side after being appointed early last month.

The Austrian brought in five players before the transfer deadline, and broke their transfer record twice in four weeks, with Michael Baidoo the first player to cost over £1 million in the club’s history, before Maxi Taloveirov topped the billing at a reported £1.7 million fee.

There were also some high-profile departures, with Morgan Whittaker leaving for Middlesbrough for a reported £6 million fee plus add-ons, while Lewis Gibson joined Preston North End in a transfer said to cost £1.5 million.

In total, there were six departures and five arrivals at Home Park, but Football League World’s Argyle fan pundit Chris is still shocked that one player is still in Devon after the month’s activity.

Saxon Earley future up in the air after January loan recall

It is safe to say that Saxon Earley has been through the mill in recent seasons, with the former Norwich City man struggling to get on the pitch due to a number of injury issues over the past 18 months.

Issues with ankles and his back have seen the full-back feature in just ten league matches for the Greens since his arrival back in the winter of 2023, with loan spells at Wycombe Wanderers and Lincoln City aimed at giving him extra game time lower down the football pyramid.

Those spells away from Home Park haven’t gone to plan either though, with limited action at either third tier side, having returned from Sincil Bank earlier in the year without playing a single league game for Michael Skubala’s side.

With his loan cut short, it seemed for all the World that Earley would be sent elsewhere for the remainder of the campaign, but whether it is due to injury concerns or Muslic making a call regarding the 22-year-old, he is back in Devon until the summer.

That is a decision that has perplexed the Argyle fan, who mulled it over when asked which player he would have expected to leave last month: “Over the January transfer window, there were certainly plenty incomings and outgoings over the period.

“Some of the notable outgoings of the first-team being that of Morgan Whittaker, for a reported £6 million, to Middlesbrough, as well as Lewis Gibson, for a reported £1.5 million to Preston North End.

“However, it was surprising to see certain players not leave the squad due to lack of game time or believed lack of ability.

“One of those players that I was surprised to see not leave the squad for a permanent transfer elsewhere was Saxon Earley, the wing-back signed in the 22/23 season during our League One push.

“Various loan spells to Wycombe Wanderers and Lincoln City have not ended well for him, as he has been besotted with injury.

“He was recalled from Lincoln City recently and he could rejoin with the first-team squad. This may have been a tactic before we signed our new wing-back Tymoteusz Puchacz, however, it was believed that he would come back to us so he would have been loaned out again or moved out on a permanent deal.

“This doesn’t seem to have materialised, and Saxon remains with the first-team squad as it is, but due to the depth in the first-team squad that we now have in defensive positions, I believe it would be difficult for him to break into the first team and get the action he probably deserves.

“In all honesty, I was surprised not to see him loaned out to another League One, or indeed League Two club, in order to get that first-team experience.”

Plymouth Argyle January transfer activity adds extra defensive options

With the departure of Gibson early in the transfer window, Argyle were down to the bare bones from a defensive point of view, with Kornel Szucs and Brendan Galloway also facing time on the sidelines due to injury.

That has left Victor Palsson and Julio Pleguezuelo as the two fit defenders for the last few weeks, with Puchacz slotting into a more central position when required, rather than his familiar wing-back role on the left.

That issue has since been addressed, with record-signing Talovierov and former Rangers man Nikola Katic joining the party, with both shining on debut in the 2-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion last time out.

With Puchacz returning to his usual position on the flank, the Polish international will take some shifting, having impressed since making the loan move from Holstein Kiel himself a matter of weeks ago.

Add to that the options of Bali Mumba, Matty Sorinola, and Nathanael Ogbeta, as well as captain Joe Edwards upon his return from injury, and Argyle are suddenly well-stocked in those wide areas, with Earley also back in the mix following his return from loan.

With so long without regular first-team football, it seems unlikely that the former Stevenage loanee will be a regular feature between now and the end of the season, but his situation is certainly a puzzling one at the moment for Argyle fans, with a decision about his future likely being made in the summer.