Plymouth Argyle should be open to cashing in on Burnley FC target | OneFootball

Losing Morgan Whittaker this month wouldn't be the end of the world for Plymouth Argyle.

Plymouth Argyle should be open to cashing in on Burnley target Morgan Whittaker this month, with the club likely to be heading to League One come May.

The Devonshire-based side have endured a difficult 2024-25, with Simon Hallett's appointment of Wayne Rooney thoroughly backfiring.

While the arrival of Miron Muslic will bring hope of a turnaround, it remains to be seen whether the squad is of sufficient quality. On Tuesday evening, the new head coach got off to a decent start with Rami Al Hajj's equaliser securing a point at home to Oxford United.

However, he still faces a monumental challenge, as Argyle's underlying statistics reveal a team desperately lacking both cohesion and direction.

Typically, this situation would call for a firm stance on retaining a key player like Whittaker, but with the 24-year-old commanding a significant fee, cashing in on the attacker seems like the best solution to bolster their squad in the future.

Heavy interest in Plymouth's Morgan Whittaker

One of the stars of the second-tier in 2023-24, Whittaker's name was brought back into the limelight against Brentford as his late strike sealed the Pilgrims' first away win since April last year.

But, that finish could possibly be his last in the green and white of Argyle, with Burnley keen on signing the 24-year-old this January.

According to Plymouth Live, the Clarets have made an offer to Muslic's men, but this has been firmly rejected as they were nowhere near Plymouth's valuation. This mirrors the situation with Argyle's relegation rivals Hull City, as TalkSport reported that their bid was also turned down for falling well short of Whittaker's valuation.

The exact fee Plymouth would require to sanction his departure remains unclear, but with reports suggesting a £15 million valuation over the summer, it seems unlikely that the club would settle for anything less.

However, it must be taken into account that Whittaker hasn't hit the same level of form this year, with just four goals and one assist in 20 games.

Plymouth can be open to cashing in on Whittaker

While many may believe that Plymouth's survival this season hinges on retaining Whittaker and hoping he rediscovers last season's form, the club can afford to adopt a more flexible stance regarding his departure.

This doesn't mean they should let him leave under their valuation, but instead place a price tag and stick to it. If they were to receive a fee in the region of £12 million then they should cash in, with that money free to go into redeveloping the squad.

Should they neglect any offer for Whittaker, then it is feasible they drop down to League One regardless, where his value will diminish massively.

Looking back, the most expensive departure from the third tier was Everton's 2017 acquisition of Ademola Lookman from Charlton Atheltic, where they forked out £7.5 million for the 19-year-old.

This would be a huge drop from the figures that Plymouth are looking at now, and it isn't plausible that they retain him in the division below.

In truth, given the numerous areas in the squad that require reinforcement, Whittaker's departure could provide the resources needed to build a more balanced and competitive Championship team.

Football League World would therefore urge Plymouth to be more pliable this month, and if they receive an acceptable offer for their star player, they should accept it and acknowledge they have done their job in aiding Whittaker's career to this point.