Tony Pulis has finally got his man in the shape of Portsmouth striker Vincent Pericard who has joined Argyle on loan for the rest of the season. The 23-year-old Frenchman is all set to make his debut against Sheffield United, another club who has appeared for this season in attempt to discover his best form after a few turbulant campaigns spent mostly on the treatment table at Fratton Park. "I think he recognises he has got to get playing again, scoring goals and get himself moving in the right direction," said the Argyle boss after announcing the signing publicly.
"We are just delighted that Vincent has chosen Plymouth as the vehicle to get himself playing again", the welshman added, understandably delighted at the capture of a recognised talent such as Pericard. Only this week, Tony Pulis has confessed to his ongoing frustration with being at a disadvantage when divulging into the transfer market, as persuading players to come and play for the league's southern-most club is always going to be difficult for any manager. With Nick Chadwick and Mickey Evans both in form, the addition of a player of Pericard's calibre will add some more options in combatting different defences, many of which have proven hard to beat in this Championship season.
Formerly of Juventus, the Cameroon-born frontman has struggled with injuries since his instrumental involvement in gaining promotion with his current employers. "I'm very happy to be here", Pericard said, "Fotball is my job and my first priority is to enjoy my job". In Pompey's title-winning season of 2002/03, he netted on ten occasions forming an effective partnership with Svetoslav Todorov - a partnership that impressed the Plymouth boss even then. "I first watched him play when Pompey battered Coventry 5-2 in their promotion winning season", said Pulis on the club's official website before going on to descibe how the front-pairing tore the Sky Blues' defence apart.
Pulis took time to thank Argyle coach Mark O'Connor, formerly of Portsmouth, for playing "a big part in the deal". It is not known whether Pericard will start against Neil Warnock's Blades considering the partnership developing between Chadwick and Evans. However, the pair failed to convert several chances in their last outing, which ended in a 1-0 defeat.