"Funds available" - Plymouth Argyle, Wayne Rooney claim made ahead of January transfer window | OneFootball

FLW's Plymouth fan pundit expects Wayne Rooney to be backed in January.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Plymouth Argyle currently find themselves inside the relegation zone in the Championship, so head coach Wayne Rooney may already be considering how he can improve his squad during the upcoming January transfer window.

The Pilgrims have seriously struggled for form of late, with their defeat against Swansea City at Home Park last night making it five games without a win in the league.

However, despite their poor recent run of results, Plymouth are only inside the bottom three on goal difference, so the January transfer window could give them an opportunity to add quality to the squad and enable Rooney to turn their season around.

Chairman Simon Hallett showed support for Rooney earlier this month as speculation over his future intensified, during a fans' forum staged by the Plymouth Argyle Cornish Supporters' Association, as per the Plymouth Herald.

"There are no conversations going on about replacing Wayne but there are conversations going on about how we can support him to help him become the great coach we think is in there," said Hallett.

We asked our Plymouth fan pundit, Chris, what one transfer demand he expects Rooney to issue to Hallett ahead of the January transfer window.

"Simon Hallett has made it perfectly clear that there will be transfer funds available to Wayne Rooney come the January transfer window," said Chris.

"This is a huge boost for him, allowing him a little bit of extra freedom in order to bolster the squad and improve some weaker areas, such as the midfield.

"I believe one demand Rooney will issue to Simon Hallett, and the rest of the board, is in relation to the wage budget, as this will open up additional opportunities to sign players on free transfers or more expensive loan deals, perhaps from Premier League clubs.

"Hopefully, we will be aiming to improve not only our defensive abilities but also our midfield link-up, as that will help us create better opportunities."

The next four games could be vital for Rooney

Plymouth have four games ahead of them in the lead-up to January, and while he seems to have the support of Hallett at the moment, Rooney will want to pick up one or two good results before the January transfer window opens to ensure that he keeps the backing of his owner ahead of a hugely important month for the club.

The Pilgrims will face Sheffield United at Bramall Lane, Middlesbrough at Home Park, Coventry City at the CBS Arena, and Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium before the end of December, and Rooney must find a way to end his side's winless run as soon as possible.

The former Manchester United striker will be desperate to remain in charge for the January transfer window, but if Plymouth's run of games without a win stretches to nine this month, then the owner may have a difficult decision to make, so the next four games could prove to be vitally important.