Lorent Tolaj, a highly sought-after striker from Plymouth Argyle, is anticipated to spark a significant transfer race this summer.
Last Saturday, the 24-year-old scored his 19th goal of the season in all competitions against Exeter City, in only his second start after missing almost a month due to injury. On April 6th, he made his comeback against Barnsley and scored one goal and assisted another.
According to The Daily Mail, Glasgow heavyweights Celtic expressed interest in Tolaj and his Argyle striking partner Bim Pepple in February, but a new twist has emerged.
Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke told X that “a number” of second-tier and international teams are interested in signing Tolaj.
While it’s unknown which Championship clubs are interested in him, FLW looks at three that must act quickly to sign the forward from Plymouth.
1 Sheffield United
Chris Wilder has made no secret of his desire for ‘a lot of changes’ at Sheffield United this summer.
The 58-year-old told BBC Sheffield: “I’m going to make a lot of changes this summer, no doubt about it. The owners know, the CEO knows, and they all know.”
Said alterations could have an impact on the South Yorkshire club’s striker situation, making a transfer for Lorent Tolaj more likely.
Danny Ings, despite his late winner against Hull City, has only scored two goals this season on a one-year contract and has primarily played from the bench. In reality, the ex-West Ham United striker has started just five league games this season.
Tyrese Campbell was ruled out for the rest of the season, at least until the beginning of April, and has not played since March 11th. Combine this with an out-of-sorts Tom Cannon and a 32-year-old Patrick Bamford, and the Blades’ attack force could use some work in the summer.
Given that Argyle’s head coach, Tom Cleverley, has previously described Tolaj as a “all-rounder” and conceded, “he’s someone who’s on a real quick upward trajectory through the leagues of English football,” it may be the ‘new start’ signing United require in the summer.
2 Stoke City
This season, Stoke City has faced a horrible scenario up front, which Tolaj could help to alleviate.
According to StokeonTrentLive, Slovakian striker Robert Bozenik is ‘hoping’ to participate in training this week. This means he could be in contention to play for the first time since his shoulder injury on New Year’s Day, though his previous form was poor.
The free move from Portuguese club Boavista has only scored once in 21 outings for the Potters, and his teammates aren’t helping him out. Yes, Sam Gallagher is making his own comeback from injury, but his goal total of two in 16 this season is as unimpressive.
Divin Mubama, on loan from Manchester City, has not scored since a hat-trick in November of last year, and Mark Robins has left him out of recent games.
You could also argue that the rumored £4.8 million cost to make Milan Smit’s loan move permanent could be better spent elsewhere, given that the Go Ahead Eagles player has likewise struggled to establish himself in the Championship.
Tolaj would bring proven scoring ability to a Staffordshire forward line that has struggled for consistency. It would also rile up Port Vale fans quite a little.
3 Derby County
Derby County, like Stoke, has been hit hard by injuries, putting their playoff hopes in risk.
Although the following two forwards aren’t precisely attackers, Patrick Agyemang’s catastrophic Achilles tear will keep him out for nine months, and Rhian Brewster had season-ending knee surgery after sustaining damage against Birmingham City.
Brewster typically played out wide under head coach John Eustace this season, as does on-loan Ben Brereton Diaz, despite the fact that both can play up top.
This means that Derby’s only’real’ strikers are Carlton Morris and Lars-Jorgen Salvesen, both of whom have struggled with injuries this season.
In November, Salvesen told BBC Radio Derby about working with Morris: “Honestly, since Carlton came here, it’s been fantastic, and he is an inspiration for me with the way he works off the pitch and plays.” He has been unbelievable. “I will work hard every day and do my best to improve.”
Lars is clearly viewed as a bench option under Eustace when healthy, having only started two league games all season, both of which came in the same month that he made those comments against Morris.
So, image the impact Morris would have on Lorent Tolaj if the Argyle star moved to the East Midlands this summer. Yes, it would provide Eustace with much-needed offensive depth, but Lars could still seek more game time somewhere, so the Rams may need to sign another number nine this summer.
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