Plymouth Argyle staged an amazing recovery in the 2025-26 season, extricating themselves from serious relegation trouble in League One to just miss out on the play-offs in eighth place.
A key part of their rapid progress was star man Lorent Tolaj, who finished fourth in the division's top goalscorer list with 18.
However, the feisty Swiss striker has completed a move to Championship side Bristol City this summer, leaving Pilgrims manager Tom Cleverley considering his options for how to replace such a key player.
Argyle already have solid options
The first point to note is that Plymouth can afford to be patient to an extent as they seek to replace Tolaj, as they have some decent options still in their squad.
Cleverley would not be unduly alarmed to have to start the new League One campaign against Stockport County on August 15th with Owen Oseni and Bim Pepple as his main forwards.
Both have proved that they can prosper in the third tier and they played key roles in Plymouth's impressive finish to last season.
The 23-year-old Oseni bagged 10 goals in 33 appearances for the Pilgrims last season, including a brace in the club's 3-0 win at Barnsley in their final away game.
Pepple came on in leaps and bounds after a slow start to his Plymouth career. The former Southend and Chesterfield loanee was red-hot after the turn of the year, scoring 15 of his 18 goals from January onwards and netting both goals in the 2-1 home win over Port Vale in April.
Having been last in League One after 16 matches last season and still in the relegation zone at the halfway mark, much better is expected of the south-west club this term as they bid to return to the Championship after their relegation from the second tier in May 2025.
The Pilgrims are joint-fourth in the betting to win League One this season at 12/1, while they are 9/2 to win promotion and just 11/8 to finish in the top six and earn a play-off place.
Pepple is the 9/1 second favourite to be the top goalscorer behind 5/1 Dom Ballard of Leyton Orient, while Oseni is a 33/1 shot.
Raiding local rivals could be top option
A ready-made solution to Plymouth's striker shortage could lie just down the road at Exeter, with Grecians striker Jayden Wareham looking a perfect option for Cleverley after City were relegated to League Two.
Wareham, 23, has already shown he can prosper at the higher level after proving a revelation for the other Devon club last term, scoring 19 league goals to finish above even Tolaj in the third-tier goal charts.
The former Reading forward netted against Plymouth in a 2-2 draw at Home Park in April, while the highlight of his season was a hat-trick in a 3-3 draw at Peterborough.
If Plymouth are willing to spend big after receiving a large fee for Tolaj, then Wareham looks the smart option, although his style of play means he is not a like-for-like replacement for Tolaj.
It has been reported by the Plymouth Herald that the club have had bids turned down for a striker and it seems like the Exeter man may well be their top target.
Hardie reunion another possible scenario
If Cleverley prefers a more tried and trusted option then a return to Home Park for Ryan Hardie, either permanently or on a season-long loan from Championship club Wrexham, could be on the cards.
Hardie was a mainstay of the Argyle side from 2020 to 2025 before making a move to north Wales, but he made only six appearances for the Red Dragons before being loaned back to League One with Huddersfield Town in February.
He scored once in four appearances for the Terriers and the Scottish striker could still shine at this level at the age of 29.
Another route that should not be ruled out is that Plymouth could look for another European forward and bring in a candidate who is not currently on the radar of most of their fans.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
