The Championship’s bottom side, Plymouth Argyle, are on the verge of signing centre back Maksym Talovierov from Austrian club LASK Linz.
According to Sky Sports News Editor Lyall Thomas, the Ukraine international will join the Pilgrims for a club record fee in the region of £1.7 million.
With the transfer deadline drawing closer, Argyle are seeking further acquisitions to bolster their ailing team. Head Coach Miron Muslić recently spoke to the Plymouth Herald about bringing in more support for his current squad.
New Manager Strengthening Backline
It’s no surprise to see new Argyle boss reinforcing his defensive options. The Austrian has inherited the team with the worst defence in the EFL, with 62 goals conceded from their 29 league matches so far. If Argyle are to make the great escape this season, improvement has to start from the back.
Their situation wasn’t helped by the £1.5m sale of Lewis Gibson to Preston North End earlier in the window, though funds are now being reinvested. While their defensive frailties have been severe, they haven’t been helped by numerous injury issues this season, most notably losing club captain Joe Edwards long term.
24-year-old Talovierov is capped seven times by the senior Ukraine national team, having represented them at age group level prior. He also boasts major tournament experience, albeit brief, after a cameo appearance from the bench at Euro 2024 against Slovakia. He is expected to sign a three and a half year contract at Home Park. At 6 ft 5 in tall, he should add some much needed height and power to the Argyle rearguard.
Talovierov will be the second defender through the door this month at Argyle, with Polish international Tymoteusz Puchacz arriving on loan from Holstein Kiel. Puchacz has made a solid impact at wingback in his early games and has shown his versatility while filling in at centre back too. If Talovierov can hit the ground running in similar fashion, he may immediately begin to pay back the club record fee.
Survival Hopes Hanging by a Thread
Argyle started the new year with three consecutive Championship draws, plus their famous FA Cup win at Brentford, which earned them a fourth-round tie with Liverpool. However, painful home defeats to QPR and Burnley appeared to extinguish any hopes of survival under Muslic.
The high profile, and at times turbulent sale of Morgan Whittaker to Middlesbrough for £5m plus add ons may have felt like an admission of their inevitable fate for the Green Army. But the character they showed in their 2-2 draw away to Sunderland did represent tiny green shoots of recovery.
Yet, the fact remains, Argyle are without a league win since the beginning of November. Encouraging points have helped instil a sliver of belief, but Muslić knows they must start winning, and fast.