Plymouth Argyle manager Ryan Lowe is backing reported Nottingham Forest and Derby County target Luke Jephcott to hit the goal trail again after a barren run of 15 games, while speaking to the Plymouth Herald.
If we told the Home Park faithful at the start of the season that this Wales U21 international would have 18 goals to his name by mid-April, you’d imagine they would be pretty happy with that.
But while Jephcott should be proud of his exploits in 2020/21, there is a nagging feeling of disappointment, of an oh-so promising season slipping away.
After hitting 18 goals in his first 26 games, the stocky striker has now failed to find the net in 15 matches; a run that may scupper his chances of a potential £5 million move to a Championship giant.
The Sun reported in February that Derby, Sheffield Wednesday and Stoke City are among his many suitors, as are Chris Hughton’s goal-shy Nottingham Forest side (Athletic).
“He’s a youngster and he’s going to go through phases like this,” Lowe said of Jephcott, who was dropped to the bench for three successive League One matches recently.
“We have tried to protect him by bringing him out of the team and putting him back in the team.
“Is he just waiting for one to ricochet off him and go in? Possibly. Is he thinking about it too much? We don’t know. He’s forever scoring in training.
“He has had an excellent season even if it finished tomorrow for the goals he has scored and where he has come from. But we want more out of him, and from all the strikers. We have been creating chances.”
Jephcott has now fallen well behind in the League One Golden Boot race, as Peterborough United talisman Jonson Clarke-Harris threatens to sprint off into the sunset.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
