Plymouth Argyle raiding Man United was a transfer stroke of genius by Ian Holloway | OneFootball

Sylvan Ebanks-Blake arrived at Home Park having made just two League Cup appearances for United

Ian Holloway's decision to sign Sylvan Ebanks-Blake from Manchester United seems to be one of the shrewdest pieces of transfer business in the Pilgrims' modern history.

Ebanks-Blake arrived at Home Park having made just two League Cup appearances for United.

However, Holloway saw the raw potential that Sir Alex Ferguson was willing to let go of, and said upon the forward signing for £300k: "I'm very, very pleased.

"He's someone I have been monitoring for some time. I almost had him on loan last year. He's got power, he's got pace, he's hungry to make a reputation," Holloway added.

How Sylvan Ebanks-Blake got on at Home Park

The striker managed to bag ten goals in his debut season as Plymouth secured their highest league finish in 20 years - finishing 11th in the 2006/07 Championship season with 67 points.

This was a huge improvement from their previous season, having been 17th, and it shows Ebanks-Blake helped the Devonshire club to be seen as a mid-table side rather than mere relegation fodder.

Picking up where he left off, Ebanks-Blake went on to net 11 goals in the first half of the following season. His ability to hold up the ball and finish with both feet made him a nightmare for opposing defenders.

Wolves triggered Sylvan Ebanks-Blake's buyout clause

Just 18 months after signing for the Pilgrims, Wolves activated the striker's £1.5m release clause in January 2008.

The clause had reportedly been insisted upon by Ebanks-Blake and his representatives during the original negotiations as Plymouth were apparently forced to accept the terms to secure his signature.

"When Sylvan joined us, he and his agent were insistent that the £1.5m trigger price was written into the deal," revealed Paul Sturrock, who had replaced Holloway as manager by the time of the transfer.

"If we hadn't agreed, he wouldn't have signed - it's as simple as that," he added.

Sylvan went on to win the Championship Golden Boot in consecutive seasons after joining from Argyle, helping the Black Country outfit gain promotion to the Premier League in his first full season there with 29 goals.

Plymouth Argyle made £1.3m profit on Sylvan Ebanks-Blake

Yes, his time being a Janner was short, but Argyle fans surely can't argue with the amount of profit they made on Ebanks-Blake, especially when considering he left Wolves as a free agent in 2013 to sign for Ipswich Town.

Argyle probably ended up using a large chunk of the Ebanks-Blake money to sign Simon Walton the following season. It was understood by the BBC it was a record signing for them.

Yannick Bolasie was another that arrived in the season after Ebanks-Blake left for Wolves, although the future Crystal Palace star had signed for a nominal fee as he had been playing in Malta.

Ultimately, through Holloway's eye for discovering young talent, Argyle were able to get the best out of a developing striker and sell him on for a much bigger fee - which was then reinvested in other young gems soon after.