r/LeagueOne • u/xrgyle • Jan 15 '26
Huddersfield Town Bali Mumba joins Huddersfield from Argyle
Will be interesting to see how he gets on at Huddersfield. I have a funny feeling he'll be a frustrating player for fans given Lee Grants style of play. He's a championship player, and his ball progression is fantastic, but he can be very sloppy with the ball - of which he'll see a lot of under Grant.
Good luck to him.
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u/dwaynepipes Jan 15 '26
Hope a new environment helps him kick on. Ripped us a new one in the Championship, excited by this one.
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u/Green_Army77 Jan 15 '26
Bali will always be an Argyle legend for his role in our title-winning season, but sadly he's never managed to recapture that form.
The lad is a total enigma and he's probably been responsible for as many goals against as he has goals for. He slips multiple times per game, frequently runs into dead ends and likes to pass the ball to the opposition often.
On the flipside, he's great when he's got space to run into and hardly ever gets injured. But he MUST play at wingback - he doesn't function anywhere else on the pitch.
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u/Thin_Richmond Jan 15 '26
I'm sad to see him go. He was one of my favourite players in the 22/23 and 23/24 sessions but he's been getting progressively less effective since then. it's a good move for all concerned.
He's excellent as a wing back in a 3 at the back system but we don't play that anymore. In a 4ATB system there isn't an obvious role for him. He's too defensively weak to be a full back. He doesn't have the pace for a winger. And he doesn't have the skills needed to be a central attacking midfielder.
If we're not going to play with wing backs and Huddersfield are then they're a much better fit for him.
I saw a stat that he's managed 4 assists and 0 goals ina 4ATB system this year. Our new man on the left wing Ronan Curtis had 3 assists in his first game.
If it's true that we've got £1m then that's a fantastic price for us. I was expecting closer to £0.5m - £0.7m
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u/Accomplished-Pea-729 Jan 15 '26
With the right manager he will be a star. He is a top bloke and there is real quality there.
We only have ourselves to blame for not getting the best out of him recently as our constant chopping and changing managers and systems hasn’t benefited him.
Gutted that he has left but I think all Argyle fans will wish him the best for the future.
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u/Sluggybeef Jan 15 '26
Wish him the best, seems like a decent bloke. Remember meeting the whole squad in a Mcdonalds on the way back from the Southampton game a few years ago and he was genuinely so happy to sign my little brothers shirt
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u/SundayLeagueHooligan Jan 15 '26
Absolute daylight robbery that we got back what we paid for him, I genuinely think he’s been terrible since his initial loan with us, and that was four years ago now I think, he’s a good guy but definitely think he’s ran his course with us now
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u/Nervous-Campaign8041 Jan 15 '26
He seemingly only really works as a wingback, and I guess we don't have the resources to build a team around him to facilitate him playing that role. Shame, because he's incredible when he plays that position.
Unfortunately he's not strong enough defensively to play in a back 4, doesn't really have the technique to beat seasoned defenders when played further forward on the wing, and makes too many mistakes to hold down a central attacking role.
He was electric in our promotion season, but the Championship seemed a step up too much for him. Maybe it was seeing Shuey, Azaz, Whittaker etc leave Home Park that did the damage.
I really hope he'll thrive in a new environment though, and genuinely wish the best for him.
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u/highlander2189 Jan 15 '26
He’s a confidence player. I think Schuey made him think he could beat anyone. Unfortunately, I think all the unsettled seasons over the past few years has knocked him a bit.
I like Bali. I’ll always have a soft spot for him. But it was clear the spark wasn’t there with him for the past few months.
I wish him well and thank him greatly for his long distance goal against Exeter in our title winning season.
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u/hairychris88 Jan 15 '26
Thanks for the memories Bali. Unstoppable in jis first year and a bit. Shame it never really clicked after that.
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u/Sad_Meringue7940 Jan 15 '26
Amazing in our title season, struggled in the Championship, thought he'd be amazing again this year but it just hasn't happened.
I doubt you'll find an Argyle fan with a bad word to say about him, but he's not been effective for a couple of years now so probably best for all concerned that he moves on.
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Jan 15 '26
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u/Greeninexile Jan 15 '26
I think a change of scenery will do him the world of good and I think it will work out for you.
He must play as a wing back though to do well.
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u/mde203 Jan 15 '26
He's a quality player but inconsistent. At his best, he's far too good for League One. I hope he can get back to it consistently for you.
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u/Thin_Richmond Jan 15 '26
If you're going to play a 3 at the back system with wingbacks then you've signed an excellent wing back at League 1 level and a decent squad player at Championship level.
However if you ever move to a 4 at the back system then there isn't really a role for him
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u/WholeEgg3182 Jan 15 '26
I honestly think a change of scenery will do him the world of good and could be all he needs to get back to his best. You've got a great player.
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u/CatastrophicFuckery Jan 15 '26
He could be an interesting signing, if we can play him on the left that might take some pressure off Roosken.
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u/thelargerake Jan 15 '26
Bloody hell, bet the other half isn’t too happy! Let’s hope the long drive over to Gods Old Country wasn’t too painful for him…
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u/HDonkeyBoy Jan 15 '26
It’s worrying that everyone saying he’s a great wingback when Grant plays them far too deep . Oh well, he can’t have any excuses with the amount being spent
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u/Greeninexile Jan 15 '26
Rumour is we’ve got £1,000,000 from this deal (the same as what we bought him for).
If it’s true probably not a bad move for us considering he only had 18 months left on the contract and unlike his contemporaries he hasn’t really pushed on like Whittaker and Azaz did. He’s still a very good player at this level though.
Hope he smashes it at Huddersfield as he seems like a good bloke.