Wayne Rooney, the manager of Plymouth Argyle, is not shocked that elite European teams have renewed their interest in Morgan Whittaker this summer after first showing interest in the forward in January.
Five clubs in Europe are reportedly interested in the left-footed standout, according to a report published by Football Insider yesterday. Brentford and Wolves, two teams in the Premier League, are reportedly among those monitoring the Pilgrims attacker.
Three other teams are rumoured to be keeping an eye on the winger: Lazio of Serie A, Stuttgart of the Bundesliga, and Celta Vigo of La Liga. Six months ago, the latter team’s £8.5 million proposal was rejected.
During the previous season, the former Swansea City player scored 19 goals in the Championship to help maintain Argyle in the second division as he established himself as one of the NFL’s hottest prospects very rapidly.
Plymouth Argyle boss Wayne Rooney issues Morgan Whittaker transfer stance
After an impressive loan spell while the Devon team was in League One, Whittaker moved from Swansea to become the club record signing for the Pilgrims last summer. The move cost £1 million.
After returning to Home Park, the 23-year-old showed no signs of slowing down. His game-changing efforts helped Argyle avoid relegation on the last day of the season, with him contributing to 27 goals overall.
Due to his stellar play, the Greens star attracted a lot of interest from elite teams during the January transfer window. Brentford, Fulham, and Lazio were among those reportedly interested in making an offer.
Six months later, the Home Park team still doesn’t appear to have shifted from their stated stance that they would demand £15 million from any club in order to wrest their star away.
Argyle manager Rooney responded, “First of all, Morgan is a fantastic player, as we saw last season, but he’s a really good human being as well,” in response to a query about the rumours surrounding Whittaker. I engaged in play with him.
“When you could actually return in groups of two after Covid, I was training with Morgan the first week, which was difficult for me to keep up with at my age!
“Morgan entered the preseason the same way as everyone else. He has, I must say, trained really well. He always has a smile on his face, and he is a very good player.
Although I’m sure there will be bids and interest in him, in our opinion, he’s an Argyle player, and I want to attempt to forward with Morgan.
“Of course, as a club, you have to take a look at crazy offers, but we want him here.” We desire for him to be a member of the team.”
Plymouth Argyle must avoid catastrophic summer with Morgan Whittaker and Michael Cooper departures
The good news for all Argyle supporters is that they signed Whittaker with plenty of forethought last summer, securing the winger’s long-term commitment at Home Park.
As things stand, the 19-goal scorer’s contract with the team runs until the summer of 2027. Argyle signed a four-year contract upon joining the team permanently prior to their Championship comeback.
The Pilgrims will be making every effort to hang onto their lucky charm this summer, or else they run the risk of losing two of their best players before the 24/25 season begins, as custodian Michael Cooper [shown] is expected to depart the team.
The custodian has stated that he will not be staying at Home Park into next summer, even though he was allegedly given a contract that would have made him the highest paid player at the team.
Argyle has one more year on his current contract, so he looks poised to cash in on one of their valuable assets this summer, ending a 15-year relationship with the team that he grew up playing for.
