Plymouth Argyle have yet to recieve a bid for star forward Lorent Tolaj as the summer draws nearer.
Interest has mounted over the past few months in the Swiss forward, with Celtic leading a pack of unnamed Championship clubs to try and secure the services of the 24-year-old once the window opens.
Cleverley Gives Transfer Update
With transfer rumours circulating around Argyle’s talisman, Cleverley has had to frequently front questions surrounding the future of Tolaj, including at the weekend against AFC Wimbledon, in which the former Watford boss said that teams would have to offer “a lot of money” to pry the striker away from Home Park.
Now, with the playoffs firmly in sight ahead of a tough clash away at Bradford City, the Pilgrims manager provided an update on whether interested parties had made an approach so far to BBC Radio Devon.
“Neither mine or [director of football] Derek Adams’ phone has received any calls. But I’d imagine agents are doing their thing in the background.
“Tolly hasn’t expressed anything about wanting to leave the football club and I think you can see by his work-rate and competitive spirit more than anything, before you talk about the goals, how much he loves playing for Argyle.
“Obviously, he’s one of our best players, he will attract some interest and inquiries. Every team in the country would love a striker that can turn a draw into a win in the blink of an eye and those do cost a lot of money.”
Short-Term Focus Needed
As much as teams will already be planning their summer business in terms of incomings and outgoings, right now Plymouth Argyle’s focus has to be on their final games of the season with the playoffs firmly in sight.
Their toughest test between now and the end of the season faces them tonight in a trip to Bradford City, who have only lost at home three times across the League One campaign.
The Bantams are on their knees right now with goalscoring worries permeating their recent results, and an Argyle win will do wonders to their own playoff chances, where they could indeed meet City in the semi-finals.
Having momentum behind them on the road to Wembley, combined with a massive confidence-building result in triumphing over a fellow playoff challenger could put Plymouth as the best-placed side to reach the Championship.
Securing Tolaj And Pepple Key To Future
The results over the next month will be critical to the fortunes of the Pilgrims in the years to come.
Missing out on promotion to the Championship certainly puts them at risk of losing their key assets over the summer, especially in attack as both Lorent Tolaj and Aribim Pepple have been linked to moves away from Home Park.
While the club definitely hold the cards to negotiations for both strikers, sales would leave Tom Cleverley scrambling to find replacements, and finding two strikers who can match the output of his current pairing will be critical.
Given how hard that can be at the League One level, Argyle may struggle to deliver on that mission, and could cost them dearly next season, perhaps highlighting how crucial getting over the line this time around is.