Argyle's Pepple not focusing on transfer 'noise'

Bim Pepple scored six goals in his final eight appearances of the season [Shutterstock] Plymouth Argyle striker Bim Pepple says he expects to be a Plymouth Argyle player come the start of the season. The 23-year-old scored 15 goals in his final 20 appearances last season as the Pilgrims moved from the relegation zone to within touching distance of the play-offs. He was part of a prolific strike force alongside 21-goal Swiss forward Lorent Tolaj and Owen Oseni - who made his Nigeria debut last month. Pepple's form has led to speculation linking him with a move to a Championship side during the summer, but he says he is happy at Home Park: "I'm under contract at Plymouth. I'm enjoying my time there," he told BBC Radio Essex. "Obviously football is crazy; things change, things come and go, but I've been in Plymouth during the off season, and I'm planning on going to pre-season. "I'm going to be a Plymouth Argyle player; that's all I can focus on. "I had all this noise when I was at Southend - at the end of it, I was still playing. I had this noise when I was in Canada playing before Luton came in. "I'm used to it; I know how to deal with it, and I just look at it as a compliment that 'wow, I'm doing well enough that people are talking about me'." Plymouth striker Pepple earns first Canada call-up The former Luton Town and Southend striker moved to Argyle last summer. He was one of a group of new players to move to Home Park under new head coach Tom Cleverley. Pepple, while the team as a whole struggled at first; he found the net just twice between the start of the season and Christmas. But after the festive season he became prolific as his goals helped Argyle move up the table. As a result, he received a first-ever call up for the Canada national team for their final squad before the World Cup, although he has yet to make his international debut and did not make the final selection for the World Cup. "Everyone was new; there were so many new players and all the new coaching staff, so it was a slow transition without everyone knowing what the gaffer wants," he said. "I think the gaffer knows the type of squad we have and how he wants to play, and we just found a system that works. "We've got a year under the gaffer, and we're excited to push on and see what that can look like now, because I think the form that we ended with, if we had that the whole season, I think we would have been automatic promotion. "So obviously it's exciting to see where that can take us and hopefully back to the Championship."