When a club breaks their record transfer fee for a player, there’s considerable hope he will be worth every penny, especially a club plying their trade in the Sky Bet Championship and not considered the most financially stable.
That’s the hope Plymouth Argyle held when they broke the bank to sign extremely gifted attacking talent Morgan Whittaker from Swansea City for a fee of £1million in July 2023.
Becoming a club such as Argyle’s most expensive transfer can be deemed as mounting pressure but not for the 23-year-old wing-wizard.
Since then, the Derby-born forward hasn’t looked back and has rapidly evolved into one of the Championship’s most productive and clinical attackers, scoring 19 goals and providing eight assists at the time of writing.
However, it would be wrong to consider the 2023/24 campaign as Whittaker’s breakthrough. While his astonishing and career-best goal contributions can suggest as much, the 23-year-old has actually been considered a hot prospect in the English Football League for a while.
Whittaker has found the perfect home at Argyle after first joining the club on loan from Swansea City in July 2022 in their League One-winning season and made the switch permanent in the summer after being recalled for the second half of last season.
A product of Derby County’s academy where he made 32 first-team appearances playing alongside and under Wayne Rooney, Whittaker’s journey to where he is now has been steady and meticulous.
His talents haven’t gone unnoticed around Europe after a potential move to Serie A giants Lazio nearly came to fruition in the January transfer window.
However, Argyle rejected a last-ditch approach for his services (The Athletic, 30 January), looking to keep him around until the end of the current campaign at least and it’s a decision which has proven crucial.
Plymouth are one game away from a possible route back down to League One should they fail to win on the last day of the Championship campaign on Saturday (4th May) and other results around them don’t go their way, which surely means Whittaker will be performing at a higher level next season.
Whichever next step he takes after such a tremendous development this year, you can be very sure the 23-year-old talent is on his way to fully maximising his potential.
So how has Whittaker gotten to this stage in his career? What kind of player is he and what could be the next step in what looks like a carefully drawn-out career path?
Who is Morgan Whittaker?
Born in Derby, England. Whittaker is a product of the Derby County academy and made his professional debut for the Rams in August 2019 as an 87th-minute substitute in their EFL Cup fixture against Scunthorpe United.
Manager at the time Philip Cocu would then reward Whittaker with his first start for his boyhood club, in a 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest in the same competition before signing a new contract at the club running until June 2023.
Whittaker finished the 2019/20 campaign with three starts and 18 substitute appearances, scoring his first career goal, the second in a 3–1 win away to Birmingham City at St Andrew’s on the final day of the Sky Bet Championship season.
Whittaker then started the 2020–21 season by scoring the winning penalty in a 3–2 shootout victory over Barrow in the EFL Cup and continued making frequent substitute appearances throughout the course of the season under the stewardship of Wayne Rooney.
However, the forward made the decision to seek out more first-team opportunities elsewhere. As a result, Swansea City came knocking, joining the Welsh club on a four-and-a-half-year deal on the winter transfer deadline day in 2021.
Over a week later, Whittaker grabbed his first goal for his new club on his debut in a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup.
His first league goal came in May in the penultimate game of the season to equalise in a 2–1 victory over his former and boyhood Derby County keeping steeped in a relegation battle.
The 2021/22 campaign – his first for the Swans – started off in superb fashion when he bagged a hat-trick in a 4-1 win over his future employers Plymouth in the second round of the EFL Cup – the first hat-trick scored by a Swansea City player since Scott Sinclair in the 2011 Sky Bet Championship play-off final.
What looked like a breakthrough year for Whittaker at his new club after the hat-trick, he only went on to feature sparingly for the Welsh outfit, making six substitute appearances in the Championship before making the decision to leave the club on loan in the January 2022 window making a new home at Lincoln City until the end of the campaign.
Whittaker carried on his theme of scoring on his debut, starting and scoring as Lincoln City ran out 2-0 winners.
The forward went on to enjoy a successful loan spell with the club, scoring five goals and registering an assist in 20 appearances but it wasn’t until his first spell at Plymouth, signing on loan in the summer of 2022, that he went on to enhance his development and maturity.
The loan spell at Home Park got off to a brilliant start. Having scored three goals and claiming an assist across September 2022, Whittaker was duly rewarded with the EFL League One Player of the Month award with Argyle sitting on top of the league.
The 2022/23 loan spell indeed proved his breakthrough, scoring nine goals and registering seven assists from 25 League One games before Swansea City exercised their recall clause once the January 2023 transfer window kicked off.
Whittaker may not have finished that campaign with Plymouth but he certainly aided their successful quest in winning promotion to the Championship for the 23/24 campaign. His return to his parent club for the remainder of the campaign did not prove a fruitful one for him, scoring once from just two starts.
It was abundantly clear things weren’t working out between the two parties so when Plymouth returned to the negotiating table with a transfer record-breaking £1million offer in July 2023, it was one too tempting for Swansea to ignore.
Since the record transfer, the rest has been history with Whittaker going on to prove his undeniable quality, so far registering 27 goal involvements (19 goals, 8 assists) from 44 games for Plymouth.
As a reward for his stunning exploits this season, the Englishman was included in the 2023/24 Sky Bet Championship Team of the Season.
Plymouth Director of Football Neil Dewsnip paid tribute to the winger following his recognition: “Well done Morgan Whittaker. He has excited us here throughout the season. He has scored some amazing goals and to get selected in that team with the quality that exists in this league is a major achievement.”
Indeed, his most memorable moments of this campaign include a home hat-trick against Norwich City and a stoppage-time winner against Rotherham United. With the summer transfer window fast approaching, it won’t be a surprise to see a club like Lazio return to the table, or better yet, a mid-level Premier League side.
His qualities deserve such a prestigious platform.
So how good is Morgan Whittaker? Why is he highly rated?
Whittaker knows no limits at Plymouth
First and foremost, it’s important to point out the conditions and environment in which Whittaker is performing to fully understand his influence and quality.
Plymouth deploy a transitional-based and pragmatic approach which means attackers like Whittaker aren’t always on the ball for large stretches of the game.
The Pilgrims average just over 45% possession per game (SofaScore) and rank sixth from bottom in the division for build-up attacks (The Analyst) whilst also averaging just 2.93 passes per sequence highlighting that they aren’t the most dominant or sustainable in possession.
Looking at the graph below provided by The Analyst, Plymouth are a more fast and direct outfit rather than slow and intricate.
They rely on the likes of Whittaker to carry them up the pitch through quick and efficient transitions before providing creativity and ingenuity when getting into the final third.
So, 19 goals and eight assists so far this campaign tells you all you need to know about Whittaker’s threat, influence and quality. His 27 goal contributions in the Championship are just under half of Plymouth’s 58 goals so far in the division which is incredible reading.
He’s very rarely on the ball for Plymouth given they don’t dominate possession but when he does have it, especially in the final third, he’s more than capable of conjuring up magic on his own.
Standing over six feet tall, the 23-year-old is a powerful runner who, although not lightning quick over the first few yards, is comfortable progressing the ball over distance. He possesses a strong frame that doesn’t discount a quick pair of feet.
The Derby-born winger feels most natural when starting from the right flank providing him with the opportunity to cut inside and unleash unstoppable left-footed strikes into the top corner or the appropriate passing angles to create chances and link up with the main number nine.
Steven Schumacher, who managed Whittaker at Plymouth, said the player has a left foot “to die for” and rightly so. 14 of his 19 goals this season have come via his left foot. Once he cuts in with space and time to shoot, very rarely does he miss the target.
The pick of the bunch from his goals is from October’s 3-2 defeat to Ipswich Town, where Whittaker cut in from the right to curl a shot into the top left-hand corner of the goal.
It is a similar passage of play to the second of the three goals he scored in a 6-2 win over Norwich City in September and his goal against Sunderland in November, the latter of which swerved away from the goalkeeper into the top corner.
Whittaker’s Means of Opportunity/Chance Creation
This season, the Pilgrims have largely lined up in a 3-4-2-1 formation with Whittaker taking up the attacking role on the right side of the main forward, giving him ample tactical freedom to express himself.
His heatmap from this season doesn’t merely reflect a player who hugs the touchline and looks to cross from deep. Whittaker prefers to move inside and occupy the right half-space, get into the penalty box and allow an overlapping full-back to provide width.
Not only is the Rams academy graduate effective when cutting inside on his left foot but he’s also capable of driving on the outside to create meaningful chances or goalscoring scenarios.
An example of this came when Whittaker provided the assist for Finn Azaz in the 3-2 win over Rotherham United in December, where he also scored a stoppage-time winner.
In this instance, Whittaker realises he can’t cut in onto his left because Rotherham’s defensive shape in this particular phase blocks any sort of room for him to do what he does best.
The defenders’ message to Whittaker is to try and beat them on the outside and that he does, delivering a delicious early low cross accurate enough to completely take the whole backline by surprise, which Azaz takes full advantage of.
Whittaker has been a standout performer in the league when it comes to carrying the ball into dangerous areas, ranking joint-fifth in the Championship with Ipswich Town’s Omari Hutchinson for carries into the penalty area (73) but also ranks amongst the best for creating chances, ranking tenth for goal-creating actions (17) and shot-creating actions (155) [FBRef].
The 23-year-old averages 1.4 key passes per game, and has created ten big chances this season whilst also beating his expected assists (xA) tally of 6.09 with his eight assists.
The former Swansea man has matured his game tremendously this season, despite playing in a rather limited team. His 1v1 threat in his dribbling has become an art form where he uses his lean frame and size to stand up to his marker before performing dazzling pieces of skill and body deception to bypass them.
Take his duels with Bristol City’s Cameron Pring back in September for example.
In this instance, Whittaker takes the ball on the outside and close to the touchline inside his own half.
What looks like an extremely difficult task, the Englishman possesses the nous and attacking class to beat his man and enter the final third before producing a decisive through ball into the penalty area.
This certainly isn’t an isolated instance in which Whittaker can thread dangerous balls through the eye of the needle.
Against Leicester City below, he picks up the ball centrally, drives forward and delivers a tremendous slide-rule pass for Mustapha Bundu who draws a save from Foxes goalkeeper Mads Hermansen.
He’s got the positional nous to roam into the number 10 position and dissect opposition defences – the freedom at which he’s allowed to operate in Plymouth’s system certainly hands him that confidence and encouragement to take the attacking responsibilities upon his shoulders, and his numbers this season point to a player delivering despite the growing expectations.
Creative winger turned penalty-box predator…
Whittaker is a strong ball striker and six goals from outside the area confirm this. He’s also recorded the most shots on target (63) and the most shots (163) of any player in the Championship.
His shot selection has improved massively evidenced by the examples above, but what’s set him apart from other top wingers in the division is his goals in the penalty area.
13 of Whittaker’s 19 goals have come inside the 18-yard box and it’s lent to his tremendous movement and potent instincts, he’s always arriving at the right time to latch on to passes and crosses.
His superb strike from a well-worked set-piece against his old employers Swansea City in February is a fine example. The Englishman pulls away from his marker in the 12-yard box before darting back towards the penalty spot.
He’s then picked out by Adam Forshaw with a brilliant cross-come-pass before finishing expertly in the bottom corner, handing the Pilgrims their first away win of the season.
Despite his height, the attacker is not one for headers yet and clearly, is relatively one-footed when finishing according to his stats.
However, there’s also the encouraging sign of some back-post goals, one of the key goalscoring traits which will make him an attractive proposition to several suitors in the Premier League or in Europe.
His goal against Huddersfield Town in January, in the image above, highlights a player well-versed in performing the basics of a winger on the opposite flank to an incoming cross, languishing at the back post and waiting to pounce for a goalscoring opportunity.
The Englishman’s positioning and anticipation in the penalty box are excellent.
His manager present and future will have no qualms asking him to fulfil responsibilities at #9 because his size, instincts, technique and movement in and around the penalty area make him as dangerous and clinical as a traditional centre-forward.
Defensive assistance
As stated previously, the Pilgrims are a transitional-based outfit, meaning most of their games are spent without the ball, keeping a mid-to-deep defensive block, and holding their opponents at bay before forcing mistakes and springing quick and incisive counter-attacks.
While Whittaker holds huge responsibility as Plymouth’s primary attacking outlet and creator, he’s still expected to help out defensively and his numbers in that sense, make for decent reading.
The former England Under-20 international averages 0.4 interceptions per game, 1.0 tackles, and 3.5 balls recovered but there are some instances where he allows the game to pass him by which is shown through being dribbled past 1.2 times per game.
He also ranks in the low 27th percentile for tackles won per 90, and 34th percentile for tackles in the defensive third when Plymouth are in deep blocks and ranks in the 24th percentile for tackles in the attacking third per 90 meaning he doesn’t press with regularity even when the team are tasked with being aggressive in a mid-defensive block.
Because he’s the team’s creator-in-chief, with so much responsibility and expectation on his shoulders to create something out of nothing in the final third, there is a tendency for Whittaker to become lackadaisical and uninterested when Plymouth are under pressure from sustained attacks.
If Whittaker wants to perform consistently at the top level, he’d need 100% concentration out of possession and hard work against the ball, as most of the top-level teams in the country or in Europe are now favouring a high-pressing style.
Morgan Whittaker’s Future Forecast
Plymouth Argyle are a game away from a potential relegation from the Championship but their destiny is well and truly in their own hands, beat play-off hopefuls Hull City at Home Park on Saturday and they will be safe.
Much of that ambition will be left on the shoulders of Whittaker who has enjoyed a sensational individual campaign but one thing is for certain, he won’t be donning the Plymouth colours next season.
A move to Serie A outfit Lazio may well have failed at the last hurdle for Whittaker in January but it was a forecast for the future, with a big move potentially on the horizon.
Given his stunning campaign this season, there will surely be Premier League interest. The success of former Blackburn prodigy Adam Wharton at Crystal Palace so far since his January moves means top-flight clubs cannot afford to miss out on such talents and Whittaker is sure to be a name at the top of several lists.
West London outfits Brentford and Fulham have both been credited with an interest in the player in the past and certainly represent stunning progression on Whittaker’s roadmap to national stardom. Both teams are in need of fresh injection in attack for next season making the Derby-born product an attractive proposition.
At 23 years of age, five seasons playing in the English Football League and a brilliant 19-goal season in the Championship this year, Whittaker is certainly more than ready to make the timely step up in his career.
It will be interesting to see which club will be the next of his carefully planned career journey.
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