Plymouth Argyle must take short-term stance on Burnley’s Morgan Whittaker advances | OneFootball

The Clarets are said to have reignited their interest in the Pilgrims' forward this winter

It seemed only a matter of time before Morgan Whittaker was linked with a move away from Plymouth Argyle in the current transfer window, with Burnley reported to have returned with another bid for the forward earlier this month.

The Clarets have been pursuing a move for the 24-year-old ever since the summer, and have made their intentions known once again this winter, although Argyle have acted quickly to shut down any early advances from the Lancashire outfit.

That won’t stop the rumours circulating until the transfer window shuts on February 3rd though, with plenty more speculation likely to be circulating between now and then, with the left-footed whizz underlining his talents with the winner in the Greens’ FA Cup victory over Brentford recently.

But with a relegation dogfight on their hands over the next few months, the Pilgrims need to do all they can to keep hold of a player who can produce something out of nothing when his side need it the most, and leave any talk of his future until the summer months.

Plymouth Argyle need Morgan Whittaker in relegation battle

After Miron Muslic was appointed as Wayne Rooney’s successor this month, Argyle will be looking to turn things around after a wretched start to the season, with the Devon outfit currently glued to the bottom of the table with just one league win since the first weekend of October.

It is set to be all hands on deck at Home Park from now until May, with the Austrian demanding his players give their all in their bid to stay in the Championship, with Whittaker likely to be central to those plans.

While he hasn’t been quite as explosive as he was in the first season in the second tier with the Pilgrims - one in which he plundered 19 goals from his place on the right wing - the forward can still make all the difference for a side that has struggled going forward this season, with only Stoke City (24) having a worse record than Argyle’s 25 goals in 26 league matches to date.

The importance of Whittaker was proven after he was ruled out with a toe injury during the latter stages of 2024, during which his teammates failed to muster much as an attacking force, drawing a blank in three of the six matches where he was absent.

Argyle are in desperate need of a number nine to lead the line at this moment in time, with Michael Obafemi and Ryan Hardie both struggling with fitness, and new arrival Michael Baidoo forced to be a makeshift striker after his arrival from Elfsborg earlier this month.

Once the Greens have a focal point in attack, Whittaker will be able to flourish once again, and rejected any advances this month will make all the difference in the battle against the drop, with the Pilgrims needing all the quality they have at their disposal to pick up vital points along the way.

Plymouth Argyle must wait until summer to discuss Morgan Whittaker’s future

Whatever Burnley offer this winter, it will pale into comparison compared to what Argyle stand to lose by dropping down a division, with revenue between the second and third tier worth millions to any club who moves between the two leagues.

Therefore, it is imperative that Argyle continue to play hardball this winter in regards to Whittaker’s future, and get the forward to get his head down and produce his best football in green once again.

Whether the Greens survive or not this season is anyone’s guess, but if they do drop down to League One, they will want to be sure that they gave themselves the best possible chance of staying in the second tier, and if they let Whittaker depart, they would be all but waving the white flag to confirm their fate.

The conversations over his future can wait until the summer, with Argyle’s future decided one way or the other, but for now, the main objective is to stay in the division, and keeping their top talents at the club are going to help with that mission going forward, rather than cashing in while his price tag is still high.