How a Surprise Number Nine Has Breathed Life Into a Struggling Side

How a Surprise Number Nine Has Breathed Life Into a Struggling Side

Following relegation from the Championship last season, Plymouth Argyle started life in League One on a sour note. The Pilgrims suffered four defeats from their first four games and found themselves rock bottom of the table. However, since the arrival of Lorent Tolaj, Plymouth have won six of their last nine matches, with the Swiss forward netting five goals across that period.

So who is Lorent Tolaj and how has he turned Argyle’s early struggles into success?

Lorent Tolaj’s Impact at Argyle

Lorent Tolaj joined Plymouth Argyle this summer transfer window for a fee rumoured to be in the region of £1.2m, a figure that is half a million pounds shy of the club’s record transfer fee.

The former Port Vale striker had a three-year contract in place with the club, however Argyle triggered the release clause to facilitate the signing. Plymouth manager Tom Cleverley had been very clear when he addressed the potent issue of not having a goal scorer within the team. The former Watford boss said he would rather wait to bring in the right profile of player than rush out and sign a striker.

The Pilgrims were in desperate need of a No.9 following the departure of Argyle legend and prolific goal scorer Ryan Hardie. The Scotland international has played a vital role in the club’s rise up the EFL, even causing cup upsets when he scored the decisive goal against Liverpool to knock the Reds out of the FA Cup last season.

Couple this with the fact that Plymouth had only scored three goals in their opening four league games, it’s understandable why Cleverley wanted to wait and get the right man for the job.

And boy was Lorent Tolaj worth the wait, as the Swiss striker has hit the ground running at his new club. In his last five appearances for Plymouth, Tolaj has scored five goals and provided one assist. Four out of those five games have ended in victories for Argyle, showing a direct correlation between Tolaj finding the net and the Pilgrims winning football games.

Any pressure the 23-year-old may have felt when he first joined the club has clearly not impacted his performances on the pitch, as the forward has already shown the fans what he is capable of.

From being in the depths of the relegation zone at the bottom of League One, to rising up to 15th place, Tolaj has put the Pilgrims back on the right path to try and reach their destination of promotion back to the Championship.

Another big performance from our number nine 🙌 pic.twitter.com/kxBT5UHnfD

— Plymouth Argyle FC (@Argyle) September 28, 2025

Lorent Tolaj’s Career So Far

Lorent Tolaj played his youth football in his home country of Switzerland. The young forward impressed across the numerous age categories, even scoring eight goals in one game in an under-19 Euros qualifier match. The Swiss international attracted the interest of Brighton and Hove Albion whilst playing for FC Sion’s U18s team. Across two seasons, the Swiss striker scored 14 goals in 26 league appearances for the Switzerland-based side, a more than decent return.

Lorent Tolaj.

One to watch out for! Super magnificent player.

The Albion academy player blasted eight goals for Switzerland under-19s against a bewildered Gibraltar team as they were soundly beaten 16-1.

17 goals in 11 games for club and country for 2019/2020 pic.twitter.com/5so3Lo3W0q

— FIFA World Cup Stats (@alimo_philip) November 21, 2019

Tolaj then spent the 2018/19 campaign playing in the U18 Premier League for the Seagulls, where he scored 10 goals in 19 appearances. The following season saw the forward bag 12 goals in all competitions, as he also featured for the club’s Premier League 2 side.

Tolaj struggled to get game time in the 2020/21 campaign, which prompted a loan move to Cambridge United in January 2022. Once again, the Swiss international failed to find his spark with the League One outfit, making only five appearances across the course of the campaign.

For that reason the loan move was cut short, with Tolaj returning to the Seagulls in April 2022. In hindsight, his loan move to the U’s seemed unnecessary considering the striker had scored eight goals and provided three assists in the first half of the season.

However despite this upturn in form with his parent club, the Swiss international went out on loan to two different clubs in the 2022/23 campaign. The first half of the season was spent with Salford City, with Tolaj being recalled in January 2023 only to be sent out on another loan.

The Swiss striker once again upped sticks by crossing the border to play for Scottish side Dundee. However it was just another club to add to the long list of failed loans as Tolaj only played three games during his time with the Dark Blues.

After being released from Brighton, Tolaj joined non-league side Aldershot Town on a one-year contract. This move proved vital to the Swiss striker reigniting his career, as the 2023/24 campaign was used as the foundations to earn a move back into the EFL.

The 6ft tall striker recorded 34 goal contributions across 48 games in all competitions, as well as winning the Players’ Player of the Season and the Supporters Club Player of the Season awards.

✍️VALE SIGNING✍️

Port Vale have signed Aldershot striker Lorent Tolaj on a 3⃣ year deal for an undisclosed fee.

The 22 year old scored 25 goals for the National League club last season.⚽️

Happy with this one Vale fans?#PVFC | #BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/ZtKLgubKGe

— BBC Radio Stoke Sport (@BBCStokeSport) June 28, 2024

His impressive form during his time with the Shots resulted in Port Vale signing the talented forward for an undisclosed fee in June 2024. And what a signing he turned out to be, as Tolaj played an instrumental role in the Valiants promotion to League One.

The former Aldershot man recorded an impressive 22 goal involvements in 37 league appearances, scoring 14 goals and providing eight assists. This was enough for the Swiss striker to claim both the top goal scorer and top assister awards within the club, topping off an excellent season with the League Two side.

However just four games into Port Vale’s League One campaign, Plymouth Argyle came in to steal the Swiss striker with only days remaining in the transfer window.

The fee has been reported to be in the region of £1.2m, with Argyle desperate to acquire a No.9 after a torrid start to the season. Since his introduction into Plymouth’s team, Tolaj has justified his price tag by spearheading the Pilgrims attack and turning the club’s fortunes around.

📝 𝗗𝗘𝗔𝗟 𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗘: Plymouth Argyle have signed forward Lorent Tolaj from Port Vale.

🔸 Fee £1.2M.
🔸 4-year deal.

(Source: @Argyle) pic.twitter.com/6Coaueyv9z

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) August 23, 2025