Callum Wright | First Interview

Sometimes, life is about being in the right place, at the right time. And now, it seems, it is time for Wright.

Callum Wright came to Plymouth in the summer of 2022 and liked what he saw. However, the stars did not align, and the attacking midfielder ended up not signing for Argyle. The Pilgrims sought other targets, and Wright ended up leaving Leicester City to join Blackpool in the Sky Bet Championship.

However, the appeal of Home Park never left him, and Steven Schumacher’s desire to sign Callum continued to burn brightly enough that now, four days into the transfer window, Callum has become Argyle’s third signing of the year.

“Early in the summer, the gaffer got in touch,” said Callum, speaking to Argyle TV, “and I came down to see the place. I loved it. It was just too early in the summer. I had had a good season at Cheltenham, and I needed to have a go at Leicester.

“I loved every bit of [Plymouth], and wanted to come here, but it came too early. Later in the window it wasn’t really an option, because of other signings. I had a good pre-season at Leicester, and later on in the window Blackpool came about, and it was an opportunity to go to the Championship. It came about on Deadline Day, I didn’t have much else.

“I had a go at it, but now that Argyle has come back about, I am buzzing to get it done.

“It was a no-brainer, as soon as it came back about. When the window opened, I knew it could happen. I said to my agent and my family: ‘I just need to get it done. I want to go there and become one of them.’

“I got a real feel for the place from the gaffer when I came down, seeing what he wants to do and what the club are trying to achieve.

“I came here last year with Cheltenham, and the atmosphere was unbelievable. The fans were great. It felt proper. I wanted to get down here and play. The start of the season that the team have had makes it even more appealing.”

Wright’s time with Cheltenham Town was a positive experience for the 22-year-old, who served his scholarship at Leicester having been on the books of Tranmere Rovers, Everton and Blackburn Rovers beforehand.

On loan from the Foxes, he played for Cheltenham for the second half of the 2020/21 season, helping the Robins to the League Two title, then stayed for another full season, at the end of which Cheltenham finished 15th in League One.

Wright credits his 18 months with Cheltenham as helping him develop and mature, on and off the pitch, as well as educating him about the highs and lows of football.

“It was a whirlwind few years,” he said. “I went to Leicester, cracked on and had a good go there and I started playing for England youth teams. I got older and needed to go out on loan because I wasn’t getting senior football at Leicester.

“Cheltenham came around; I went there and won League Two with them. It was a crazy year, and I loved every minute of it. It was sensible to go back there the next year and have a go at League One. I knew the place, trusted it, had a really good season, played a lot and got numbers.

“I learned from the League Two experience. At Cheltenham, we were the best team in the league. I learned that side of the game, going into games dominant. The season after, it was the opposite. We were down there, scrapping for our lives, but we had a really good team, and did well. We survived, and it was Cheltenham’s highest-ever finish.

“That was learning the other side of the game, being the underdog.

“I developed massively as a player over the two years. I turned into a man and got 50 games under my belt, which is valuable.

“Off the pitch, as a person, I grew and developed there. It was an unbelievable experience.”

During his first spell at Cheltenham, Wright played alongside Finn Azaz, who has impressed during his time as a Pilgrim, on loan from Aston Villa, and is looking forward to renewing that partnership.

More than that, his previous promotion experience has whet Callum’s appetite for a repeat, which he is hoping will come with Argyle, this May.

“I played with Finn in my first year,” said Callum. “He’s doing well here; I’ve spoken to him a few times. I’m looking forward to linking up with him again.

“I’ve experienced the taste of winning the league and getting promoted – and I want to do it again. I want to achieve: I think this is the place to do it.”