Plymouth Argyle Chairman slams conduct of Miron Muslic amid Schalke departure, he left club with ‘no choice’

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Plymouth Argyle Chairman Simon Hallett has lifted the lid on Miron Muslic’s switch to Bundesliga Two outfit FC Schalke 04.

In the wake of the Pilgrims’ relegation to League One, head coach Miron Muslic has left Plymouth Argyle for German giants FC Schalke.

Muslic arrived at Home Park in January following Wayne Rooney’s dismissal and proved to be a popular appointment among Argyle fans, especially considering their run in the FA Cup.

However, Muslic’s Argyle could not stem the tide of third tier relegation and Plymouth finished the Championship campaign in 23rd.

Muslic was tipped to take Plymouth back to the Championship, but will now not be in the Home Park dugout next season following his switch to Schalke, and now the Argyle Chairman has lifted the lid on his “disappointing” conduct.

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Plymouth Argyle Chairman reveals true feelings on Miron Muslic

Muslic’s departure has been blasted by Argyle fans, with some of the Pilgrims faithful questioning his contradictory comments about looking ahead to next season.

Since talking to Schalke, Muslic has expressed his desire not to return to England, in a decision which left the Argyle hierarchy “frustrated”.

Now, Argyle Chairman Simon Hallett has lifted the lid on Muslic’s departure, and his “disappointing” behaviour throughout the process.

Hallett told the club’s website: “We are disappointed at Miron Muslic’s departure – not at his joining a club with a profile such as Schalke, but in the timing and manner of his leaving.

“After the season ended, and with rumours flying that Miron was attracting interest from other clubs, I called him personally and he assured me that he was 100% committed to Argyle.

“As a result, Miron continued to take part in all recruitment meetings and was involved with interviewing and recruiting players until just last week. His colleagues had no indication that he wanted to leave.”

Miron Muslic made Plymouth Argyle feelings clear

Hallett added: “Last Saturday, Miron informed the club that he wished to speak with Schalke with a view to joining them. Under his contract, a club wishing to speak with him needs Argyle’s prior permission.

“We were unwilling to give such permission, but Miron informed us that under no circumstances was he going to return to Plymouth. Thus, we reluctantly gave the necessary permission.

“By making clear his intention never to return, Miron gave us no choice but to move on.” We could have insisted on the full compensation and gone to court to enforce his contract but would not have had his services as head coach, and progress on recruiting a replacement would have been blocked.”

Argyle fans accused Muslic of “jumping at the first opportunity” after the initial talks with Schalke, and with Chairman Hallett adding weight to their claims, the Austrian’s reign at Argyle will be permanently tainted.

Attention now turns to who could succeed Muslic at Home Park, with multiple Championship bosses out of work following the end of the season. However, there is one available head coach in particular that Argyle should be looking at.

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Potential candidates to succeed Miron Muslic at Plymouth Argyle

Of the five possible replacements at Plymouth, there is one standout candidate to become Muslic’s successor at Home Park.

Ruben Selles was sacked by Acun Illicali at Hull City despite keeping the Tigers safe from League One relegation, with the chairman issuing a bizarre reason for sacking Selles.

Spaniard Selles has an impressive record as a head coach across the English Football League.

Selles was successful at Reading in the third tier, despite the club’s challenging financial circumstances, before his 78-game stint concluded.

Before his time at Reading, Selles was the caretaker manager at then-Premier League Southampton during the 2022/23 season, seeing first-hand the quality on display in the top flight.

Hull fans were fuming at the “ridiculous” decision to sack Selles, and their loss could be Argyle’s eventual gain this summer, if the Argyle hierarchy opts for the Spaniard to become Muslic’s replacement.