"Left out on a limb" - Plymouth Argyle urged to take action in January transfer window | OneFootball

Wayne Rooney's side have been extremely inconsistent so far this season, and will need to bring in more protection this winter.

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 have had an inconsistent start to the season under Wayne Rooney, and while their home form has kept their heads just above the parapet so far, their lack of wins on the road is having a detrimental impact on their league position.

Nevertheless, it was a campaign where the one main aim for the Pilgrims is survival at all costs, and supporters have seen some promising moments from their team so far. Wins over Blackburn Rovers and Sunderland have pushed them into contention for survival, while a draw against Derby County at Pride Park just before the international break could prove crucial come May.

However, there will be several questions asked about the team's performance defensively, with goals being shipped far too easily at times.

This has especially been an issue away from Home Park, with Plymouth conceding 17 goals on the road in just eight matches. But, with the January transfer window coming up, there is still time to fix this problem and get Argyle pointing in the right direction.

Verdict made on where Plymouth need to improve in January

With Rooney as manager, there is a lot of focus on the Devonshire club currently, but that pressure does not seem to be getting to them too much.

The Pilgrims have a smaller budget compared to their opponents in the Championship, and they have continued to fight against the odds after maintaining their position in the second tier on the final day of last season.

While there was action in the transfer window taken by Argyle in the summer, it is clear that more is needed in January, and Football League World has asked their Plymouth Fan Pundit, Chris, which area he believes needs strengthening the most.

"Considering Argyle's current league position," he started. "There certainly needs to be strengthening of some sort in the January transfer window.

"Looking at the different areas that require that strength, I would think that defence would be the key area to look towards as we've brought in great attacking players and great midfield link-up players, such as Rami Al Hajj.

"However, our defence due to the injuries of Lewis Gibson and Brendan Galloway recently, has been left out on a limb, and therefore, we require that extra little bit of support to help the backline."

Chris continued: "Although Julio Pleguezuelo has fit into the role very well to help support the backline in a substitute role, it's clear that we still need some additional players here.

"Unfortunately, due to Argyle's recent transfer history, it's very difficult to predict exactly who they're going to be targeting in this window. It could be like we did with Kornel Szucs that we look at far-flung leagues in and around Europe as well as potentially further abroad to try and bring in some new talent.

"Whether this will be on a permanent deal or a loan transfer is yet to be seen."

Plymouth's defensive issues have carried over from last season

Although it can be said that more work needs to be done in an attacking sense, without a solid defence, gaining points will be more difficult, particularly on the road.

However, this is not a new issue that Rooney has created, and is in fact one that he has inherited. Argyle conceded the fourth-most goals in 2023/24, with only Blackburn Rovers, Huddersfield Town, and Rotherham United letting in more.

Two of those threes in that particular table were relegated, with Plymouth and Rovers boasting talented goalscorers, which allowed them to stave off relegation on that occasion.

But, this season has been more difficult for Morgan Whittaker, and he is not finding the back of the net as consistently. Therefore, it is imperative that the Pilgrims get on top of their defensive issues and bring in another capable centre-back to help stem the flow at the back.