Plymouth Argyle are closing in on their Miron Muslic replacement, his last club made ‘a mistake’

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Plymouth Argyle are edging towards hiring a new manager ahead of the 2025/26 League One campaign.

Simon Hallett was forced to let Miron Muslic depart to Schalke in May, and he has been frantically searching for a successor to the 42-year-old.

Ian Evatt had previously been in the running for the Argyle job, but he was soon ruled out while supporters pointed out how well Jack Wilshere would have fit.

EFL Analysis also reported that Stephen Robinson had at one stage become the frontrunner for the vacant role, but Plymouth have now settled on a decision and talks are reaching their final stages.

Plymouth Argyle enter advanced talks with Tom Cleverley

Despite interest in multiple other candidates, John Percy has stated that the Pilgrims are set to appoint Tom Cleverley in the coming days with the two parties now locked in advanced talks.

EFL fans were shocked when Watford sacked the 35-year-old last month, with a poor run of form at the end of the campaign halting the Hornets’ push for a top six finish.

Nevertheless, Cleverley is an incredibly exciting hire for Plymouth, with the former Manchester United midfielder having managed 59 games already at a senior level.

He won 18 of his 55 Championship games at Watford after first taking charge as caretaker manager, losing 33 times and picking up 14 draws as the Hertfordshire outfit finished 15th and then 14th.

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Troy Deeney will be pleased to see Tom Cleverley back in work

While Cleverley himself will obviously be delighted with this next opportunity, his former teammate Troy Deeney will be keen to see how he gets on at Home Park.

The ex-Forest Green Rovers boss fumed when the soon-to-be Plymouth manager was sacked by Watford, and he made his feelings clear on the situation (via: talkSPORT): “It’s difficult because I don’t know what the expectation is. You don’t back him in January and you strip him of resources.

“You undermine him in January as well by leaking this information out that he could potentially get replaced. He stays professional and does a good job and they finish 14th in the league. They were in a position where, at the start of the season, they were talked about as relegation candidates as well, so when you look at it from that perspective, he did a solid job and they’re ready to kick on next year.

“If you look at where they were three months ago, right up there in the play-offs, you would argue that the tail end to the season has been poor, so you can understand why they’ve moved away. I just don’t understand who you replace him with and what’s going to change, I don’t think it’s going to get any better by getting rid of Tom Cleverley.

“But Watford have decided to get rid of him, and the harsh facts, which are not good reading for Clevs, are that, since Boxing Day, if you look at the form guide, they got 20 points. They are bottom of the form guide, with Derby, Blackburn, Cardiff and Luton all above them.

“You can make the argument for both, but I would argue that it’s a bit of a mistake in the short-term.”

Plymouth will be hoping for an instant return to the Championship, and Cleverley will be keen to start work quickly in what will be an open race for promotion in League One.