Plymouth boss Tom Cleverley thinks Tottenham youngster Oliver Irow has the quality to move up to the Championship next season after a blistering start to his loan at Home Park. Able to play wide or through the middle, Irow has scored four goals in six appearances for Argyle in all competitions, including three in his last two League One games as Plymouth climbed to third.
Speaking to BBC Radio Devon, Cleverley praised the player’s self-belief and said he has settled quickly with teammates and supporters alike. The manager stressed that the priority for now is a strong League One season, though a Championship step next year is a realistic aim if he keeps this up.
One highlight was a long-range effort against Barnsley, regarded as one of the division’s best goals this term, and his readiness to shoot from distance has helped swell his tally. He has already equalled the four goals he managed last season during a loan at fellow third-tier club Mansfield Town.
Cleverley also confirmed that Spurs have a January recall option, which could mean Irow returns to Tottenham or, more likely, goes out to a club in a higher division. Drawing on his own career at Manchester United, Aston Villa, Everton and Watford, he noted that promising loanees are sometimes pulled back too early and things then fail to work out. He cited Amario Cozier-Duberry’s spell at Bolton as an example where patience paid off, with a strong move to Middlesbrough following. Cleverley was wary of looking too far ahead, but said both Plymouth and Tottenham are happy with how things are going.
