Plymouth Argyle still have loan option for January transfer window
After the Pilgrims’ proposed loan move for Middlesbrough striker Josh Coburn fell through they turned to Sierra Leone international Mustapha Bundu in a permanent deal
Steven Schumacher has revealed one of the advantages of Plymouth Argyle signing Mustapha Bundu on deadline day was that it kept one loan card available to them for the January transfer window.
The versatile 26-year-old attacker joined the Pilgrims last Friday from Belgian club Anderlecht for an undisclosed fee on a two-year contract.
His transfer came about after Middlesbrough had a late change of plan and decided not to allow 20-year-old striker Josh Coburn to make a season-long loan move.
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Had Coburn signed the Pilgrims would have been been up to five on-loan players, which is the maximum amount permitted in a matchday squad.
Instead, they continue to have four – Aston Villa duo Finn Azaz and Kaine Kesler-Hayden, and midfield pair Luke Cundle and Lewis Warrington, from Wolves and Everton respectively.
So, should Schumacher deem it necessary in January, he could bring in one more player on loan, which could be very useful.
Schumacher said: “Hopefully Mustapha can come here and develop, and grow, and be a real good player for Argyle. It also gives us a loan spot in January if we need it. When that option was there it was one of the reasons why we went for him.
“I had a couple of options on Wednesday night and Thursday about what striker we go for and who we try and pursue.
“We had a big discussion early Thursday morning with Jimmy (Dickinson, head of recruitment), Neil (Dewsnip, director of football) and Ross (Goodwin, head of football data) and we decided this is the avenue we wanted to go down for that reason.
“Mustapha is going to come in and be a big help for us. He’s a physical presence at the top end of the pitch that we need, but also we have still got another loan card to play.
“As you have seen, our loan players are doing brilliant for us and we could get another one in January if we need it.”
Argyle are currently in the process of applying for a work permit for Bundu, who will join up with his Argyle new team-mates once that has been approved.
Loan signings have been a huge success for the Pilgrims over recent years and the early indications are the current crop will make significant impacts this season as well.
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