By Paul Jones
Swansea City have decided to bring Morgan Whittaker back from his loan at Plymouth Argyle.
The 21-year-old has been impressive for Plymouth, the leaders in League One, scoring nine goals in 25 appearances since moving there last July.
He’s only made three starts for Swansea in the Championship since joining from Derby for around £700,000 in February 2021.
He spent the second half of last season on loan at Lincoln City and has made 22 appearances for Swansea overall, scoring five goals.
When asked about Whittaker’s situation after a defeat to Burnley, Swansea head coach Russell Martin said that if he comes back, he’ll be welcomed into the team and will hopefully build on the momentum he’s gained at Plymouth.
Swansea head coach Martin said: “There’s been a lot of conversation about it. If he comes back, he’ll be welcomed into the group.
Forward Morgan Whittaker has been recalled by parent club @SwansOfficial.
Morgan departs with our thanks for his tremendous contribution at @homeparkstadium, and with our very best wishes for the future.#pafc
— Plymouth Argyle FC (@Argyle) January 3, 2023
“He has been playing at Plymouth in what is probably the most competitive position on the pitch for us, with Olivier Ntcham, Luke Cundle, Ollie Cooper, Jay Fulton and Joel Piroe [to compete with].
“He’s done brilliantly so if he comes back, hopefully he can build on that momentum and we’ll see where it takes him here.
“I think his preference would be to stay [at Plymouth] and play football where it’s guaranteed every week, but there’s a bigger picture.
“He’s our asset and there’s a bigger picture in terms of what Josh [Marsh, Swansea’s head of football operations] and Julian [Winter, Swansea’s chief executive] see in terms of his value and what he might be able to add here. I’m quite relaxed about it either way.”
Whittaker’s departure is a loss for Plymouth, as he is their top scorer this season and has also provided seven assists.
Plymouth’s manager Steven Schumacher had hoped that Whittaker would stay with them for the rest of the season.
“At the moment there isn’t a plan in place to take him back,” Schumacher told BBC Radio Devon.
“The clause is in the contract for both ways, we’ll just see how that develops.
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“I don’t know what the window is that they’ve got to bring him back, but at the moment we’ve got no indication to say that he’s going to go back, which is great.”
Whittaker has helped Plymouth to an excellent start this season, as they sit top of League One. The Pilgrims currently have a seven-point cushion ahead of both Ipswich Town and Sheffield United, even though both sides have a game in hand on the league leaders.
“I think everyone can see how good he is,” Schumacher added.
“He’s been a brilliant player for us this season, he’s contributed goals and assists and he’s one of the key reasons why we’re at the top of the league.
“There’s no surprise what he’s doing – week in, week out we see him in training every day and he looks as though he’s really enjoying his football, which is the most important thing with Morgan.
“He’s a character that’s got to have a clear plan. I’ve shown how much I care about him and he’ll produce performances like that.”
