Plymouth Argyle transfer deadline day dream involves Notts County star Alassana Jatta | OneFootball

The Greens need some extra fire power before the transfer window shuts if they are going to stave off relegation

We are just days away from the transfer deadline on February 3, with Monday set to bring its usual flurry of activity as deals get pushed through at the eleventh hour.

The last few days of the window could make or break a season for any side, with gaps needing to be filled, deadwood needing to be shifted, and squad depth needing to be addressed for the second-half of the campaign, and any oversights can be brutally punished between now and the end of the season.

For Plymouth Argyle, the task is quite simple: get quality players through the door who want to give their all under Miron Muslic. The Austrian has set out his stall in terms of what he expects from his playing staff in his early days as the Greens’ boss. It is now just a case of getting signings over the line while they still can.

The Pilgrims have been rebuffed in a number of their advances so far this winter, with Lincoln City playing hardball over Paudie O’Connor, while reports of a move for Slovenian under-21 star Adrian Zeljkovic are said to be off the table due to work permit issues.

Another £750,000 bid has already been turned away from Notts County for frontman Alassana Jatta in January, but in an ideal scenario, the Devon outfit would love to get a deal for the sharpshooting Gambian over the line.

Plymouth Argyle would love late Alassana Jatta deal

While there is an argument to be made that Argyle are lacking players all over the pitch right now, there is a major deficit up top right now, with Andre Gray’s departure at the start of the year leaving Argyle with room to play with in terms of attacking personnel.

Both Ryan Hardie and Michael Obafemi have had their fitness issues of late, with the latter rarely featuring since Muslic took to the dugout, while Muhamed Tijani slowly works his way back from a lengthy injury layoff.

As valiant as Hardie’s efforts have been in the final third, there still looks room for another fit and firing striker to come in and compete for the starting spot at Home Park over the next few months, with Jatta looking like an ideal fit for Muslic’s playing style.

The former Cercle Brugge boss wants his players to be aggressive, physical and intense, both in and out of possession, and the 26-year-old forward has proven that in spades since making the move to Meadow Lane from Danish side Viborg 12 months ago.

With 18 goals in 32 league matches ahead of this weekend, Jatta certainly knows where the back of the net is, and his considerable presence will occupy opposition defenders when Argyle go forward, freeing up space for the likes of Michael Baidoo and Rami Al Hajj to exploit as a result.

With one of the worst goal returns in the second tier right now, it is no secret that the Greens need to address their problems going forward, and with Morgan Whittaker’s departure and questions over Ibrahim Cissoko’s future, it looks like a different tact is being tried between now and May, with extra personnel needed for Muslic to make it work.

Adrian Zeljkovic issues may alter Plymouth Argyle transfer plans

Argyle have been a side that have happily delved into the European transfer market of late, with the likes of Tijani, Cissoko, Kornel Szucs and Michael Baidoo all joining from leagues around the continent since the summer.

While that approach certainly has its benefits in terms of finding cost price stars, there can also be logistical issues that create road blocks with that approach, as the reported work permit issues with Zeljkovic this month has proven.

With the administration issues creating delay in terms of getting deals over the line, that may force Argyle to look closer to home before the transfer window slams shut, and could lead to a deal for Jatta being revived in the final hours of the transfer window.

Having already sounded out a deal for the striker, it is clear that County want an advance on the £750,000 offer being touted by the Pilgrims, with a fee closer to £1 million likely to tempt the Magpies into letting their attacker leave.

That would have been a figure that Argyle would have scoffed at in the past, but over the past 18 months, we are talking about a different football club, with seven-figure fees becoming more of the norm at Home Park these days.

That outlay could recoup the Pilgrims several times that in the months to come though, with Championship survival likely to guarantee them plenty of cash to line their coffers.