With the Plymouth Argyle side desperately in need of a revamp ahead of the second half of the season, the Greens will already be eying up recruits ahead of what promises to be a busy January transfer window.
Wretched away form, a mountainous injury list, and a return of just one win in 10 league games has contributed to Wayne Rooney’s side sitting in the relegation zone as we approach Christmas, with issues at both ends of the pitch costing them dear through 24/25 so far.
Having conceded the most goals in the division by some distance, the Devon outfit must delve into the market to add some defensive solidity to their ranks next month, with recent displays seeing them carved wide open time and time again.
The news coming out from along the South Coast will have pricked Pilgrim ears of late, with Southampton boss Russell Martin hinting Ronnie Edwards could leave on loan for the remainder of the campaign, with his ability likely to improve a porous Argyle defence if he were to move to Home Park.
Plymouth Argyle’s defensive woes
Argyle have conceded 40 goals in their 19 league games so far this season, five more than next worst Luton Town, with constant drubbings on the road adding to Rooney’s tumultuous time in the southwest.
A 6-1 defeat to Norwich and 4-0 loss at Bristol City in the space of a week compounded the Greens’ misery away from Home Park recently, with just two points from their ten games out of Devon painting its own story of the early days of the former Birmingham City boss’s reign.
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With a number of players facing time on the sidelines of late, a changeable backline hasn’t helped matters at the back, with Brendan Galloway, Lewis Gibson, and Kornel Szucs all facing time out of the side of late, while Julio Pleguezuelo and Victor Palsson have struggled to perform in reserve.
Rooney has publicly slammed his side’s displays without the ball recently, with Tuesday night’s 2-1 defeat to Swansea City seeing the hosts ship two easily avoidable goals at Home Park.
"The goals we conceded were naive, to say the least, and that was really disappointing from our point of view," he told BBC Radio Devon.
"I think there were positives within the game - certainly an improvement on the last two games - but ultimately tonight was about the result and we fell short.
Championship most goals conceded 24/25 season (FootyStats)
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Plymouth Argyle
Luton Town
Portsmouth
Norwich City
Sheffield Wednesday
As of 12/11/24
"We know we're going through a difficult moment at the minute. Sometimes when you are going through a difficult moment those small things become big things and seem to go against you, and certainly they have tonight.”
Ronnie Edwards can help to tighten up Plymouth Argyle defence
Ronnie Edwards was one of the most eye-catching EFL transfers of the summer, as the defender secured a reported £3 million move to Premier League Southampton from Peterborough United, with the ball-playing centre-back considered to be one of the brightest prospects in the Football League.
But since then, the 21-year-old has failed to break into the Saints’ side, with just 12 minutes in the top flight to his name this season, as well as a single appearance in the League Cup, leaving boss Russell Martin keen for him to head out on loan to earn some more game time.
The St Mary’s manager told the Daily Echo last month: “Ronnie and Nathan Wood were long-term signings for the club really and we maybe knew they wouldn't impact the team too quickly short-term.
"It's a big jump from League One to the Premier League but we have real belief Ronnie will make that jump.
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"He just has three top-quality centre-halves playing in front of him. We'll assess his situation in January and if he's in the situation he's in right now... Then maybe it's best for him to go and play football for six months in the Championship and get that development in the same way Shea Charles is."
That revelation from the former MK Dons boss will have caught the attention of a number of sides in the EFL, with Edwards’ pedigree speaking for itself, with numerous appearances for England at various youth levels.
The ex-Barnet star seems to have it all; pace, power, excellent game-reading, and a vision for a pass that could benefit a number of sides in the second tier, and Argyle will surely be among them, with the Greens making good use of the loan market in recent seasons.
With Rooney and his side staring down the barrel of the very realistic outcome of relegation this season, they need to be beating other teams to the top talent that is available, and if they were to make Edwards theirs, it would show they mean business for the second half of the campaign.
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This side can’t continue to ship goals at such an alarming rate and need to bring in players of an ilk that can compete on a regular basis in the Championship, with clean sheets giving the side a base to build on in terms of going forward.
With just one clean sheet so far this season and a whole host of early goals conceded, Argyle are constantly making a rod for their own back in terms of earning points either at home or on the road, and the sooner this is addressed the better.
Edwards may not be able to sort the whole thing on his own, but he would make a huge difference in the long run; he is a Premier League player in the making, and that sort of quality is exactly what Argyle need to turn things around in the next few months.