"League Two or League One" - Plymouth Argyle player named as potential January loan departure | OneFootball

We asked our Plymouth Argyle fan pundit if there was a player who needs a loan move 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...

Freddie Issaka has been tipped to leave Plymouth Argyle on loan in January, despite recently scoring his first senior goal for the club.

The 18-year-old winger came through the youth system at Home Park and made his debut in an EFL Trophy game back in August 2021, before making his league debut the following season.

He played just five Championship games last season, all of which came from the bench, but he's made a decent start to life this season under Wayne Rooney, playing eight league games already, and scoring in their 3-3 draw with Preston last month, in what was his first league start for the club.

He started his second game in the win over Portsmouth at the beginning of November, and he looks set for a bright future with the Pilgrims, but a loan move in January could allow him consistent first-team football, something he may not get at Home Park this early in his career.

Freddie Issaka tipped for potential Plymouth Argyle loan exit

Our Plymouth Argyle fan pundit, Chris, believes that while Issaka could do with a loan move, Argyle's squad depth means that boss Wayne Rooney may choose to keep the 18-year-old at Home Park.

Speaking to Football League World, Chris said: “Argyle’s squad depth is very small at the moment, having to rely on a lot of youth players to cover for a lot of the injuries we’ve been stricken with.

“With that in mind, I think it’s essential we keep hold of as many players as possible during the January transfer window, but if I had to single out a certain a player that I could see leaving on loan to gain extra experience on the field, that would be our young winger Freddie Issaka.

“A product of our youth academy and a Wales youth international, he recently scored his first league goal for Argyle. With that in mind, he’s still learning and yet to be at Championship quality, so in order to boost his confidence and give him valuable first-team experience, I believe a loan move to either a League Two or League One club could be a positive move for him, particularly if he remains in the South West area.

“However, I still believe that there is also a strong work ethic at Argyle, particularly under Wayne Rooney’s guidance, so it would be difficult for me to justify that a loan move is the right decision for any player, let alone Freddie Issaka."

Freddie Issaka looks set to play an important role for Plymouth in the years to come

Regardless of whether he goes out on loan or not, Issaka has a bright future at Plymouth Argyle, and Rooney faces a dilemma about whether to send him out on loan in January.

A loan move might be more beneficial in the long-term, but as Chris alluded to, Plymouth don't have the squad depth to loan too many promising youngsters out in January as they could be needed for first-team action.

For an 18-year-old to be playing semi-regularly and scoring goals in a struggling Championship side is no mean feat, and he looks like he could be a real star in the making for Plymouth Argyle.

Rooney, someone who knows a talented player when he sees one, faces a dilemma about whether to loan Issaka out in January, and if he opts to keep him at Home Park it would speak volumes about how much he rates him.