[themaclad]

Plymouth Argyle have equalled the club's record transfer fee to sign Norwich City wing-back Bali Mumba.

He has agreed a four-year deal, with the Pilgrims set to pay more than £1m.

The 21-year-old spent last season on loan at the Pilgrims and was an integral part of the side that won the League One title and reached the EFL Trophy final at Wembley.

The ex-England youth player scored six goals in 47 appearances and made the EFL League One team of the season.

The fee is similar to the one Argyle paid on Monday to sign forward Morgan Whittaker, who also impressed on loan at Home Park last season.

"Bali's pace, directness and positivity were huge parts of our success last season, and I know he was someone that the Green Army found tremendously exciting to watch," Argyle manager Steven Schumacher told the club website.

"He gets fans off their seats - and I am sure they will be delighted to get to see him in green once again.

Mumba was named the EFL's Young Player of the Month for September 2022 - a period where he had two assists and scored two goals, including what proved to be the winner against Norwich's rivals Ipswich Town.

"Following the signing of Morgan Whittaker earlier this week, the investment into talented, upwardly mobile, young footballing talent continues with Bali coming in," added director of football Neil Dewsnip.

"We have matched the club record fee that we paid for Morgan, and I would like to thank Simon Hallett, Andrew Parkinson and the board for backing us, as we ensure that we build a squad fit for the Championship."

Analysis
Brent Pilnick, BBC Sport

Having not broken their club record transfer fee for 15-and-a-half years the Pilgrims have hit it twice in five days.

Bali Mumba was key to Argyle's success last season, impressing at wing-back and being an important part of the team that got promoted.

Earlier this week Schumacher said he would be cautious in spending the club's money, and for the second time this week has gone back to a player he knows and trusts.

Having signed goalkeeper Conor Hazard and defenders in Mumba, Julio Pleguezuelo, Kaine Kesler-Hayden and Lewis Gibson, expect more attacking signings to come.

At least one striker is top of the list, with Niall Ennis leaving for Blackburn Rovers and Sam Cosgrove returning to Birmingham City after the conclusion of last season.

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Plymouth Argyle's youngest-ever player Freddie Issaka has signed his first professional contract.

Issaka, who celebrates his 17th birthday on Friday, is a Wales Under-17 international and joins the professional ranks almost two years after his senior debut.

The attacker played in an EFL Trophy game at Newport County on 31 August 2021, aged 15 years and 34 days.

He made his EFL league debut last November as a substitute at Lincoln.

"This pre-season he has flourished even more with the first team, and thoroughly deserved his pro contract," said Argyle first-team coach and head of player development Kevin Nancekivell.

"He really deserves his contract, and we look forward to working with him for many years to come."

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Aston Villa midfielder Finn Azaz has re-joined Plymouth Argyle on loan.

The 22-year-old, who spent all of last season at Home Park as the Pilgrims won the League One title, has agreed another season-long deal.

The Republic of Ireland Under-21 player scored eight goals in 34 League One appearances for Argyle last season.

He is the third loan player from the title-winning side to return to Home Park this summer after Bali Mumba and Morgan Whittaker made permanent moves.

"It is great to have Finn back on board," Argyle manager Steven Schumacher told the club website.

"He was another player who was so influential for us last season and was a huge part of the team that won the league.

"He scored some big goals and provided some assists at important times last season. His creativity and quick thinking will benefit us greatly in the Championship."

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Championship side Plymouth Argyle have signed midfielder Luke Cundle on a season-long loan from Wolves.

The 21-year-old has made seven appearances for the Premier League side, including two top-flight starts in the 2021-22 campaign.

He came through the academy at Molineux and made his first-team debut at the age of 17.

Cundle spent last season on loan at Swansea in the Championship, playing 34 times and scoring three goals.

"He is a technically very gifted player, who can play in a variety of midfield positions, adding to our strength in that department," Plymouth manager Steven Schumacher told the club website.

"He has huge potential, and importantly he has a full season of Championship experience under his belt with Swansea last season."

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Plymouth Argyle have signed Sierra Leone striker Mustapha Bundu from Belgian side Anderlecht.

The 26-year-old, who has won 14 caps for his country, has signed a two-year deal with the Pilgrims.

Bundu's football journey began at Craig Bellamy's Football Academy in Freetown and included spells with Hereford, AGF Aarhus and latterly Anderlecht.

Argyle manager Steven Schumacher told the club website: "I am thrilled - we have been tracking him for a while."

After playing at the academy set-up by the former Wales striker in his home city of Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, Bundu enrolled at Hartpury College near Gloucester in 2015. He scored twice playing for Newquay and then netted 26 goals in a promotion-season with Hereford in the Midland League.

Work restrictions meant he was unable to play at a higher level and Bundu joined Danish side AGF, playing more than 100 games and scoring 10 goals as they finished third in the top flight for the first time in 2019 before a club-record move to Brussels the following year and then loan spells with Copenhagen and Andorra.

Schumacher added: "Mustapha will bring different qualities to our forward line.

"He is a full international and joins us from one of the biggest clubs in Belgium. He's also experienced England, and specifically the South West before, so he will settle quickly and we look forward to seeing him run out at Home Park for the first time."

The deal is subject to international clearance and the approval of a work visa.

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Championship side Plymouth have signed Tottenham defender Ashley Phillips on loan until the end of the season.

The 18-year-old joined Spurs from Blackburn in August and has played five times for the Tottenham Under-21s.

The England Under-19 captain has been allowed to leave despite a defensive shortage, with Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Ben Davies and Eric Dier all sidelined.

Argyle have conceded 12 goals in their past five Championship games.

Last week Plymouth appointed former England youth coach Ian Foster, who has previously taken charge of the country's under-18, under-19 and under-20 sides.

Salford-born Phillips was with Blackburn from the age of 12, making his debut aged 17 and playing 14 times in all competitions last season before signing a five-year deal with the north London side.

"He's a young player with lots of potential," Foster told BBC Sport about his first signing.

"He's a really calm and composed player with the ball, and someone who is brave is possession.

"Out of possession he's really athletic. He's a big 18-year-old so he's physically already highly developed, but I'm sure there's much more to come.

"He's not the finished article by any stretch of the imagination, but he will be a top player," he added.

Meanwhile, midfielder Luke Cundle has been recalled from his season-long loan with the Pilgrims by Wolves, having scored five goals in 27 appearances with the Devon club.

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Plymouth Argyle have signed Leeds United midfielder Darko Gyabi on loan until the end of the season.

The 19-year-old worked with new Argyle head coach Ian Foster when he was in charge of the England Under-20s side.

He has played five times for Leeds since moving to the club from Manchester City in the summer of 2022.

He is the second player to move to Plymouth this week after Tottenham central defender Ashley Phillips also joined the club on loan.

"I have been aware of Darko's qualities for a number of years after his performances as a young player in the England pathway," Foster told the Argyle club website.

"He played an age group up in the Under-20 World Cup in Argentina which shows his qualities and he has great ability to link the play from midfield to attack.

"He has the athleticism to drive forward both with the ball and without it, and also has a real knack of arriving into the box late.

"Alongside that he is also a lovely character and personality so he will fit in really well within the group.

"He was so excited to join and couldn't get down here quick enough. I am equally excited about seeing him in an Argyle shirt."

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Plymouth Argyle have signed Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Alfie Devine on loan until the end of the season.

The 19-year-old spent the first half of the campaign at Port Vale where he scored three goals in 26 appearances.

Devine has previously spent time in the academies at Liverpool and Wigan.

He was part of the England Under-20 side managed by new Argyle head coach Ian Foster, and is the second Spurs youngster to move to Home Park on loan after defender Ashley Phillips.

Argyle have also completed the permanent signing of former MK Dons and Swansea wing-back Matthew Sorinola, 22, who joins as a free agent after being released by Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise.

All three of Argyle's January loan signings are former England youth players who have worked under Foster, with Leeds United midfielder Darko Gyabi having been another member of last summer's victorious Under-20 World Cup squad.

Devine's only first-team experiences with Spurs have come in the FA Cup. He scored on his debut as a substitute in the 5-0 win over non-league Marine in the third round in 2021 and came off the bench in the win over Portsmouth at the same stage last year.

"I've known Alfie since his Wigan days, when I was working for the FA," Foster told the club website.

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Plymouth Argyle have signed midfielder Adam Forshaw on a free transfer from fellow Championship side Norwich City.

The experienced 32-year-old is the Pilgrims' fifth new signing this month and second permanent addition.

Argyle have not disclosed the length of the former Leeds, Middlesbrough, Wigan and Brentford player's deal.

Forshaw joined Norwich on a free transfer last summer after five and a half years at Leeds, but featured in just six Championship matches.

Forshaw began his career at Everton's academy, where he worked alongside Argyle's director of football Neil Dewsnip.

He has made more than 300 appearances in a career spanning almost 15 years, and has twice helped sides win promotion to the Premier League.

He was part of the Middlesbrough team that went up in 2015-16 and the Leeds squad that returned to the top flight in 2020, although his time at Elland Road was hampered by a hip injury.

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Plymouth Argyle are continuing contract talks with defenders Brendan Galloway and Mikel Miller.

The pair's deals run out this summer having helped the Pilgrims remain in the Championship.

Midfielder Will Jenkins Davies, 19, has also been offered new terms having spent most of the season on loan at Torquay United.

Third-choice goalkeeper Callum Burton - whose penalty saves helped the Pilgrims reach last season's EFL Trophy final - is one of three players released.

Youngsters Jack Endacott and Oscar Halls will also leave the club.

Youth team players Josh Bernard and Jack Matthews will join the senior ranks with the rest of the squad, such as highly-rated Morgan Whittaker, still under contract.