Finn Azaz features: 3 August transfers Plymouth Argyle will want to emulate before Deadline Day | OneFootball

This trio all made their mark during their stints at Home Park

Highlights

Plymouth Argyle couldn’t have started the 2024/25 Championship campaign much worse, having gone down 4-0 to Sheffield Wednesday on the opening day.

The thumping at Hillsborough marked an unhappy return to management for Wayne Rooney, who saw his side get pulled apart by the Owls time and time again in Yorkshire.

Although there will be plenty to ponder over after that early humiliation, the good news is that there is still plenty of time left in the transfer window for Argyle to get new recruits in, and add some extra quality to the squad.

With that in mind, we’ve taken a look at three August signings the club have made in recent years and how much of an impact they made during their time at Home Park.

Finn Azaz

Having already played a huge part in getting Argyle back to the Championship, there was plenty of hope from the Green Army that Finn Azaz would be returning to Home Park last summer, and those dreams came true just two days before the season began.

The loan deal that brought the Aston Villa man back to Home Park meant the magical triumvirate of Morgan Whittaker, Bali Mumba and Azaz were reunited back in Devon, and once again began to sprinkle their magic wherever they went.

Having had 16 goal contributions in 34 League One games the season before, the playmaker already oozed Championship quality, and that was on show as soon as he made the step up to the second tier, with a number of performances where he ran the show in his role behind the strikers.

A further 12 league goal contributions came in the first half of the season, including a sumptuous volley against Watford on New Year’s Day that will be spoken about on the south coast for many more years to come.

Azaz was the man that made Argyle tick, and in truth, they have never quite replaced him since his loan was terminated in January, but even after his second spell at the club was cut short, he still had a massive part to play in the Greens staying in the division last season, and will always be warmly remembered by the Pilgrims.

Paul Gallagher

You have to go way back to 2008 for the time that Paul Gallagher joined the Pilgrims, but those that do remember will have fond memories of the Blackburn Rovers loanee during his time at the club.

In a campaign similar to the one that has just begun, Argyle were struggling in front of goal at the start of the 08/09 campaign, with just two goals in their first three matches, and just one point to show for their efforts.

Just when they needed it most, Gallagher stepped in to fill the void in the goalscoring department, with his 13 league goals almost single-handedly keeping the club in the division come the end of the season.

A superb brace at Selhurst Park to earn the Greens a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace really announced himself to the Janners in attendance, before another crucial winner against Cardiff City later in the year.

A run of five goals in four games between February and March really turned Argyle’s fortunes around, with an acrobatic effort against Wolves in the first minute the pick of the bunch, with the Pilgrims having their backs against the wall for the next 90 at Molineux before emerging with three points.

It was short, it was sweet, and Gallagher’s ability in the final third had quite the impact during his time at Home Park, and Argyle will be hoping for another loan signing that can have the same sort of impact in the coming weeks.

Panutche Camara

Sunday’s defeat to Wednesday showed that Argyle are severely lacking legs in midfield as it stands, with Darko Gyabi and Adam Forshaw yet to get up to speed after pre-season fitness issues.

Adam Randell and Jordan Houghton also face a race to regain fitness ahead of the upcoming campaign, leaving Rooney immediately light in the middle of the park before his season has really begun.

What Argyle could do with is a player in the engine room like Panutche Camara, who has the energy levels to harass the opposition and not allow attacks to build in front of his eyes.

The Guinea-Bissau international was imperious during his two years at Home Park, with his tenacity in the middle of the park thwarting the best that League One had to offer, while his lung-busting runs would see him stealing in to join attacks when the Pilgrims piled forward.

The current squad is calling out for a player who can be dynamic in that role, and despite having his injury issues since leaving Home Park, Camara was a player who stamped his authority on games during his time in Devon.