“Argyle are signing a player, but I can’t remember who. I know he’s a midfielder. He played for us before actually, and was on loan with us in one of those seasons where COVID altered everything. Gosh, what was his name? Oh, Ty! You remember Ty, don’t you?”
I can only imagine the conversations behind the scenes leading to the conclusion that Plymouth Argyle were set to bring Tyrese Fornah back to Home Park. But no, Argyle are not re-signing Fornah, a defensive midfielder who was on loan at the club during the 2020/21 season largely played behind closed doors due to COVID. They have, however, completed the signing of Tyreeq Bakinson, a defensive midfielder who was on loan at the club during the 2019/20 season curtailed due to COVID.
It’s fair to say Bakinson’s return has taken many by surprise. I have no doubt that Derek Adams had the player on his mind as soon as a decent offer came in from Salford City for Brendan Wiredu. It would make sense for Bakinson to cover Wiredu’s backup role, and free more funds to fill other holes in the squad. After the worrying development of Malachi Boateng’s injury, however, Bakinson may be required to play a little more than first anticipated.
This summer, I’ve made a point of not writing a “deep dive” piece into players who have returned to the club after loan spells. After all, we already knew what to expect from both Wes Harding and Alex Mitchell. I’m making an exception for Bakinson though; when he last signed for Argyle few knew what a coronavirus was, the club found itself in League Two and Steven Schumacher was just a humble assistant manager. So, what can we expect from a man making his return after six years?
Deciphering the midfield profile
Think back to Bakinson’s initial Argyle spell. He was never someone you’d consider an attacking midfielder. Rather, he was always used as the “1” in Ryan Lowe’s 3-1-4-2, or as one of the two in the deep double pivot in a 3-4-3.
Obviously, that was a prerequisite to act as a direct replacement for Wiredu, who himself was far more of a combative midfielder than an attacking one. Boateng’s injury, though not exactly part of the plan when the Bakinson deal was agreed, simply increases the need for a midfielder who can hold his own defensively.
It’s therefore worth us looking at his numbers to consider whether Bakinson is still that sort of player. Pleasingly, his most recent season at Leyton Orient provides us with a decent sample. He played 43 games in all competitions, culminating in 2,883 minutes overall. 2,585 of those came in the league, which is more than the 1,982 Wiredu played for Argyle in League One. I think that provides an appropriate basis for making reasonable comparisons between the two.
I absolutely have the mental image of Adams hearing of Salford’s offer for Wiredu, then searching the database for a similar profile of player, and Bakinson immediately standing out.
When making those direct comparisons, I can’t help but be drawn towards their tackling. Wiredu and Bakinson made practically the same number of tackles per 90 minutes as each other last season, and the success rate of those tackles was basically identical too. I absolutely have the mental image of Adams hearing of Salford’s offer for Wiredu, then searching the database for a similar profile of player, and Bakinson immediately standing out on this basis.
| 2025/26 | Brendan Wiredu | Tyreeq Bakinson* |
| Tackles per 90 | 2.18 | 2.19 |
| Dribbled past per 90 | 0.64 | 0.66 |
| Implied tackle success | 77% | 77% |
It’s a slightly different story when it comes to duels. As we explored when looking at Harvey White, Wiredu contested a good number of duels last term. His average of 7.96 ground and 3.41 aerial duels contested ranked fourth when compared with Argyle’s midfield options last season. For Bakinson, those numbers were slightly lower; he posted figures of 6.15 and 3.22 for ground and aerial duels contested per 90 respectively. Both would have placed around mid-table in Argyle’s midfield ranks.
The success of those duels also doesn’t jump off the page. Bakinson was successful in 51% of his ground duels last season, and 55% of his battles in the air. By definition, those are above average, but they aren’t necessarily outstanding for a player in his position. Wiredu, by contrast, had a 60% success rate in both types of duels.
Where Bakinson does seem to excel a little more is in his passing. Herbie Kane and Law McCabe were the only Argyle midfielders to complete more passes per 90 last year than Bakinson’s 30.22, both from a significantly smaller sample. As for the success of those passes, his total success of 74% should be considered relatively strong, whilst I was particularly impressed with his long passing.
Bakinson’s long pass success rate of 35% is comparable to some of Argyle’s more technically gifted midfielders last term, and well clear of Wiredu. In terms of raw numbers, he also completed more than anyone.
| Player | Long passes attempted | Long passes completed | Success rate |
| Herbie Kane | 39 | 15 | 38% |
| Joe Ralls | 59 | 22 | 37% |
| Caleb Watts | 52 | 19 | 37% |
| Jamie Paterson | 51 | 18 | 35% |
| Tyreeq Bakinson* | 154 | 54 | 35% |
| Bradley Ibrahim | 47 | 16 | 34% |
| Caleb Roberts | 9 | 3 | 33% |
| Malachi Boateng | 158 | 52 | 33% |
| Brendan Wiredu | 92 | 28 | 30% |
| Joe Edwards | 148 | 43 | 29% |
| Law McCabe | 52 | 15 | 29% |
| Ayman Benarous | 20 | 5 | 25% |
Given his previous experience at the club, and the player he’s replaced, we have an impression of Bakinson as a combative midfielder. Personally, I don’t think he’s as strong in duels as many may believe. However, his broader range of skills does make him more of an all-rounder than Wiredu, and arguably more suited to a midfield two.
More forward-minded?
Given what we’ve just explored, it’s reasonable to ask whether Bakinson may be able to offer more going forward than we perhaps initially anticipated. To successfully replace (and even potentially improve upon) Wiredu, Bakinson will need to do two things: replicate his set piece threat, and offer enough in other areas to be effective.
I’m not hugely concerned on the first point. Bakinson is slightly shorter than Wiredu, and statistically worse in the air, but he’s still a physical presence. Let’s not forget his first goal for Argyle in his first spell came from a set piece, as he scored decisively in a 1-0 win over former club Newport County.
As for his open play attacking exploits, I’d look towards both goals Bakinson scored in the league last season. One, against Peterborough United, saw Bakinson finish a swift counter-attacking move from the edge of the box, in a similar area to where Wiredu scored his final goal for Argyle against Northampton Town.
The other was also from a similar position, as Bakinson scored a late volley to seal Orient’s comeback victory over Exeter City. This one is pleasant to watch for all sorts of reasons.
When it comes to build-up play, I wouldn’t necessarily say Bakinson is a particularly creative midfielder. However, I wouldn’t have said the same about Wiredu either. In fact, last season Bakinson had a slight edge on Wiredu in creative metrics. He made 0.78 key passes per 90 to Wiredu’s 0.76, and created 0.16 big chances per 90 to Wiredu’s 0.14. Those aren’t huge differences, but another statistical similarity to convince Adams that Bakinson was the man for the job.
The best-case scenario would see Bakinson seamlessly replacing Wiredu’s bite in the midfield whilst also offering more going forward, all while saving the club money. I think a lot would need to fall into place to make that happen, and realistically I don’t believe it to be the likeliest outcome. However, I absolutely accept that the pieces are there, and Bakinson could pleasantly surprise.
A nomadic career
Considering he was only at Home Park for a brief part of one season, which itself was curtailed, it’d possibly be reasonable to assume Bakinson’s previous Argyle spell was merely a fleeting part of his overall career. In the main, that’d obviously be correct. That said, it certainly hasn’t become uncommon for Bakinson to have a short spell at a club before moving on swiftly.
Let’s go back six years. Bakinson first joined Argyle on loan from Bristol City. He’d been on loan the previous year too, making 42 appearances in all competitions for fourth-tier Newport. After a few months back at his parent club, Bakinson’s loan spell at Argyle started in January 2020. He appeared 14 times for the Pilgrims, scoring twice before the pandemic curtailed his stint.
2020/21 was something of a breakthrough campaign for Bakinson. He played over 2,000 minutes in the Championship, and by the end of the year the future looked bright for a player still aged only 22.
With almost the entire season played behind closed doors, 2020/21 was something of a breakthrough campaign for Bakinson. He played over 2,000 minutes in the Championship, and by the end of the year the future looked bright for a player still aged only 22. Alas, he wasn’t able to build on that promise. By the end of 2021/22, he was back out on loan, this time with Ipswich Town for their penultimate season in League One.
It was a permanent deal for 2022/23, with Bakinson joining Sheffield Wednesday. And whilst he was only really a squad player at Hillsborough, he was part of a strong year for the club as the Owls achieved 96 points and won promotion through the play-offs. It’s a familiar tale though; by the second year he proved unable to build on the first, and he was out on loan again, this time to League One Charlton Athletic for the second half of 2023/24.
We’re not even done. Wednesday released Bakinson in the summer of 2024, and he ended up signing for Wycombe Wanderers for the 2024/25 campaign. It would once again be a one-season affair. After a year, he joined Leyton Orient for an undisclosed fee ahead of the 2025/26 season. From there? You guessed it: one season at the club before an eventual loan, this time back to Argyle.
Why am I telling you all this? Well, I think it’s notable that Bakinson hasn’t spent two full seasons at a club ever since joining Argyle back in 2020 (and in fact for a little longer when his Newport spell is considered). Look at the list of clubs mentioned: most, if not all, would fancy themselves to be in the “upper League One, lower Championship” range. He’s clearly fancied as a player at this level, and he’s had a lot of managers willing to buy into his talents, but he’s never been able to sustain any success.
Argyle will need to ensure that he’s given the best environment in which to thrive; other clubs have clearly struggled.
It creates an intriguing dynamic for his latest move. If he needs to come to Argyle and do a job on loan for a year, before the club can afford an upgrade next summer…I guess he probably can? Argyle will still need to ensure that he’s given the best environment in which to thrive; other clubs have clearly struggled.
And let’s think back to the moves for Mitchell and Harding, and how they became permanent. If the club are hoping to do the same and make Bakinson a long-term success, they’ll need to find a way to break his career trend.
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