A busy Plymouth Argyle transfer window became even more hectic last Friday. Rumours circling throughout the week reached a crescendo, as one player departed and two were added to Argyle’s ranks on the same day. Callum Wright left to join Wigan Athletic on loan, whilst the Pilgrims completed permanent deals for Brendan Wiredu from Fleetwood Town and Bim Pepple from Luton Town.
Since Wiredu was technically the first to sign (or at least the first to be announced) we’ll start with him. In general, I’d say this is one of the arrivals to bring the most excitement to the Green Army. By all accounts, Argyle have been chasing Wiredu for a while, and beat Rotherham United to secure his services this summer. Sure, a club of Argyle’s size and budget should be beating Rotherham to any signing they grapple for, but it’s encouraging nonetheless.
Wiredu, reportedly joining Argyle for £300,000, captained Fleetwood in League Two last season. He played the majority of his games as a centre back, and we’ll use stats gathered from those games throughout this piece. However, Wiredu brings the benefit of versatility too, and we’ll assess how he could fit into Tom Cleverley’s system in a variety of ways.
Best of the battlers
Rejoice, because Wiredu provides us with a tremendously healthy sample size. He played 3,091 minutes last season at Fleetwood, with only two Argyle players – Bali Mumba and Adam Randell, managing more in the league. We should therefore have the capacity to draw some firm conclusions from the stats we collect from last year.
First, and probably foremost, it appears Argyle have signed yet another battler. More than that though, Wiredu is a battler who tends to win most of the battles he enters. He’s the latest in a long line of players Argyle have signed this summer who enjoy getting involved in duels, and Wiredu’s success rates in many areas are positively eye-catching.
As has often been the case this summer, ground duels offer a great starting point. Last year, Wiredu won an average of 5.44 ground duels per 90 minutes, with Ibrahim Cissoko the only player on Argyle’s books to have won them more frequently. And in terms of raw numbers, Wiredu comes out on top, with no Argyle player winning as many as his 187.
That’s not the most impressive element though. Wiredu’s success rate in winning those duels has been superb. He won his ground duels last season at a success rate of 67%. Argyle’s average was 50%, and none of the top six ground duel winners at Argyle last year can match Wiredu’s rate. Julio Pleguezuelo, in 7th, hit 71%, but he won exactly 100 fewer ground duels than Wiredu.
| Player | Ground Duels Contested | Ground Duels Won | Success Rate |
| Brendan Wiredu* | 279 | 187 | 67% |
| Darko Gyabi | 314 | 171 | 54% |
| Bali Mumba | 284 | 161 | 57% |
| Adam Randell | 238 | 130 | 55% |
| Morgan Whittaker | 198 | 95 | 48% |
| Matty Sorinola | 144 | 91 | 63% |
As part of winning those ground duels, Wiredu has proven himself to be a highly competent tackler. He made 76 tackles last term, with Bali Mumba the only Argyle player to have made more. Mumba, meanwhile, was dribbled past 22 times, with Wiredu’s figure down at 15. Wiredu’s implied tackle success rate of 84% is perfectly acceptable, comfortably above Argyle’s average of 73%, and more in line with the likes of Pleguezuelo and Kornel Szucs.
Wiredu has also demonstrated an ability to win fouls, clearly suggesting there must be a significant degree of intelligence to how he enters duels. He made an average of 0.96 fouls per 90 last season, but won an average of 2.65. Sure, some of that may reflect referees’ tendency to favour defenders in debatable calls, but it’s a significant gap. And, once again, Wiredu was only beaten by Ibrahim Cissoko in Argyle’s ranks.
| Player | Fouls Won per 90 |
| Ibrahim Cissoko | 3.08 |
| Brendan Wiredu* | 2.65 |
| Matty Sorinola | 2.25 |
| Darko Gyabi | 2.15 |
| Adam Forshaw | 1.97 |
| Morgan Whittaker | 1.75 |
I wouldn’t necessarily say Wiredu has shown a similar level of proficiency in the air. His aerial duel success rate of 54% isn’t bad on the face of it, but it isn’t terrific either for a central defender. It suggests to me that playing in the middle of a back three, or a centre back in a back four, wouldn’t suit his talents. Still, in other positions, that can be negated, and he more than makes up for it with his work on the ground.
There have been rumours that Argyle were chasing Wiredu for a while, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re true. He’s a player Miron Muslic would have adored.
Ball-playing qualities
Wiredu is another burly battler, but there’s no reason why he can’t fit into other, more technical systems. Quite the relief, I’d say, given Cleverley’s preference for possession football. Wiredu has shown enough quality on the ball during his Fleetwood days to calm any nerves about his ability to fit his new head coach’s style.
Let’s begin with his passing. Last season, Wiredu attempted a total of 1,148 passes, completing 931. That gave him a pass success rate of 81%, above Argyle’s figure of 75%. I fully accept that Argyle’s style of play in the second half of last season saw their pass success dramatically drop, so it’d be more of a surprise if Wiredu didn’t beat Argyle’s rate. However, his numbers suggest that playing out from the back certainly shouldn’t be a problem.
Wiredu’s numbers for long passing in particular are worthy of attention, as across the campaign he completed 78 long passes. Only three Argyle players completed more last term, and two of them were goalkeepers. We’re in exactly the opposite situation as before, with Wiredu’s comparatively lofty number particularly surprising given the frequency of long balls at Argyle under Miron Muslic. Wiredu completed his long passes at a success rate of 48%, again easily beating Argyle’s collective 34%.
On top of that, Wiredu has demonstrated further abilities when in possession, albeit through smaller sample sizes. His crossing has been decent when required, and it’s led to me dreaming of him whipping in Macauley Gillesphey-style balls, such as the one he played for Callum Wright in THAT win in Shrewsbury. Wiredu may not cross often, but just one moment like that would suit me down to the ground.
Wiredu has also shown competence when dribbling, which I found particularly surprising for a centre back. Only five Argyle players completed more dribbles last term than his 23, and Wiredu completed his with a success rate of 50%. Once more, that was enough to beat Argyle’s total figure (48%). Don’t be surprised to see him advance the ball from deep positions on his own.
So, thus far, we’ve explored how Wiredu is an intelligent, physical player who seems entirely comfortable with the ball at his feet. Caveats apply – don’t worry, we’ll get to them – but thus far the signs are undeniably positive.
A suitable role emerges
So, we’ve seen plenty of stats, and now we can explore how exactly Wiredu could fit into Cleverley’s preferred style (or indeed any other style the Argyle head coach opts to deploy). As I mentioned earlier, and as had indeed been mentioned by many since Wiredu’s arrival, he brings a significant degree of versatility, and should be able to slot in to all sorts of formations.
To demonstrate, we can look at where Wiredu has played throughout his career. Online resource Transfermarkt shows he’s played 217 games thus far, and for 202 of them they’ve identified a defined position. As you can see, he hasn’t exactly been consigned to one area of the pitch.
| Position | Brendan Wiredu Appearances |
| Centre Back | 81 |
| Defensive Midfield | 54 |
| Centre Midfield | 40 |
| Right Midfield | 14 |
| Attacking Midfield | 7 |
| Right Back | 6 |
Which of those suits him best? Well, based on his stats, and how we saw him line up against Eintracht Braunschweig in Argyle’s pre-season friendly, all the signs point to him starting in defensive midfield. And I reckon that’ll suit him.
It was a couple of years ago now but, if my memory serves me well, Wiredu has posted a similar set of stats to Pleguezuelo when he first joined the Pilgrims. I remember being impressed by his one-on-one defending, and with the way he brought the ball out from the back, but had a few concerns about his strength in the air. It looked at the time that a role on the right of a back three would suit him best, and I think that turned out to be true, although I’d trust him as one of two centre backs in League One.
I also believe Wiredu would suit a role on the right of a back three, but of course that doesn’t seem to be Cleverley’s preference; he could opt to switch to it, as he did occasionally at Watford, and the existence of Wiredu provides that flexibility. However, pre-season suggests he prefers a 4-2-3-1, and I don’t see Wiredu as the sort of player to follow in Pleguezuelo’s footsteps and be part of a central defensive duo. His aerial duel success is already average at best, and his figure will surely drop as he steps up a level.
With Argyle already well stocked at right back, the door opens to a deeper midfield role. Playing as one of the “2” in the 4-2-3-1 will help negate any aerial worries, whilst also putting Wiredu in a prime position to play to his strengths by competing in, and hopefully winning, duels. It’s also a handy position at the heart of the side for his leadership qualities to flourish, and I’ve no doubt he’ll have the ability to spray passes across the field as required.
Truth be told, I feel a role at the base of the midfield in a 4-3-3 would be perfect for Wiredu’s talents. Again though, that doesn’t seem to be Cleverley’s way, and I can’t say I particularly mind; Wiredu is more than acceptable as an all-rounder to play in a double pivot.
Not immune to errors
I’ve built up Wiredu, and he undoubtedly had a strong season at Fleetwood last year. That said, I did mention there were caveats involved, and it’s worth exploring those before we automatically assume his Argyle spell will be a similar success.
Despite his strong numbers, Wiredu did allow errors to creep into his game on occasion. One of those came against Swindon Town, in what turned out to be his final outing for Fleetwood. He stumbled whilst in possession in his own penalty area, allowing Swindon to score their fourth goal of the afternoon.
Another, earlier in the campaign, came against eventually relegated Carlisle United. Wiredu gave away a penalty with a challenge he really didn’t need to make, giving the hosts a route back into the game. Fleetwood would eventually win the game (Danny Mayor scored twice!), but it was a lot less comfortable than it could have been.
I am not hugely concerned – errors are part of the game, and you’re always likely to make a few notable ones when playing as a centre back for a full season. It does, however, reinforce the view that placing him in the middle of a back four in League One might be unwise. If he’s made those errors in League Two, you’d expect them to be amplified at a more unforgiving level.
And that, once again, is the crux of the matter. As with so many players Argyle have signed this summer, Wiredu’s success will probably depend on how well he adapts to the English third tier. He has the advantage of having played in League One before, but it’ll still be a challenge to keep his numbers high. His key strength, duels, will naturally be challenged when he’s facing higher quality players.
Wiredu has done enough to prove he’s too good for League Two. He’s easily good enough for a place at a mid-table League One club. Can he cut the mustard at a club claiming to be targeting promotion? We’ll soon know for sure.