Plymouth Argyle should avoid taking Tottenham stance with Leeds and Aston Villa: View | OneFootball

An important summer awaits Plymouth Argyle as they begin planning for a second year of Championship football.

Who will stay and who will go within the squad are the questions being asked amongst the fanbase, and there is particular intrigue regarding the loanees.

Alfie Devine and Ashley Phillips joined from Tottenham Hotspur in January and experienced some highs in green and white, but can the same be said for Darko Gyabi and Lino Sousa? Signings from Leeds United and Aston Villa.

Plymouth could do worse than re-signing Tottenham duo

The Green Army were quick to laud Devine with praise after the final game of the season, in which he was excellent in the middle of the park.

Operating in his preferred position made a world of difference and makes the thought process of Ian Foster even more puzzling.

It was Foster that brought the 19-year-old in from North London, but Neil Dewsnip and Kevin Nancekivell got the best out of him instead.

It is a shame really that we didn’t see Devine playing like this until the season decider, but Dewsnip’s recent comments point towards a potential reunion. He had the following to say to Plymouth Live on the matter: “We are already in discussions to see if we can maybe access one or two of those to stay again next year, but we are very early in the discussions,” referring to Devine and his Spurs teammate, Phillips.

Phillips had a different experience in the green half of Devon in that the supporters couldn’t get enough of him when he first joined.

Seeing such a young defender play with confidence on the ball as well as having a commanding nature in the air was brilliant, only for mistakes to creep in as the regular minutes began to take a toll on his legs.

Both players in question endured an up-and-down Argyle tenure but, from the positive signs alone, the club could do a lot worse than adding them to next year’s Championship squad. After all, another year at this level is what both need and Plymouth can be the right environment for the pair.

A lack of interest in Leeds and Villa men

Also returning to their parent clubs are Darko Gyabi (Leeds United) and Lino Sousa (Aston Villa), the former having been sidelined with injury whilst the latter was a bit-part player on the whole.

It seems unlikely that either of them will be seen playing for Argyle next year and so utilising the loan market yet again is important for the club’s hopes of survival.

Gyabi played 10 times for Argyle in the league, totalling 775 minutes of action, but was then recalled to Elland Road due to a groin injury that required treatment.

He showed signs of promise, so it was by no means a failed transfer, but the 20-year-old wasn’t able to establish himself as an immovable force in the Argyle midfield all the same.

Regarding Sousa, the Home Park faithful barely got to see him in action for their side. Five of the teenager’s eight outings came as a substitute with him remaining below the likes of Bali Mumba and Mickel Miller in that left wing-back area.

As can often be the case with these short-term deals, the players arrive not to fill a position of huge importance but instead to just occupy a role in the wider squad. It makes analysing their body of work difficult, but at the same time, it is safe to say that neither of the players concerned were difference makers for Argyle. It makes little sense, on the evidence we saw, Plymouth moving or making an effort to re-strike those deals.

Devine and Phillips, on the other hand, had strong moments in green and white. They would be welcomed back to Devon with open arms, and it will be fascinating to see if the club do follow through on these early discussions to bring them back ahead of a second Championship term.