Head coach Muslic to leave Plymouth amid Schalke link

Head coach Muslic to leave Plymouth amid Schalke link.

Miron Muslic, Plymouth Argyle’s head coach, is set to resign after talks with a German second level club. Argyle, who were recently demoted from the Championship, said they had “reluctantly” authorised the Bosnian-born Austrian to speak with the Bundesliga 2 team, which is believed to be Schalke. Muslic, 42, replaced Wayne Rooney as head coach of Cercle Bruges in January but was unable to retain the club in the second division, despite a strong run towards the conclusion of the season. He orchestrated Argyle’s FA Cup fourth-round victory over Premier League champions Liverpool.

Following the club’s relegation, he refused to say whether he would remain at Home Park in League One next season. “Despite regular communication since the end of the season, and no mention of any issues, Miron has now made it clear that, after extended periods away from his family, this opportunity provides him the chance to be closer to them after four years on the road,” according to a statement from Plymouth Argyle. “We are disappointed by this decision, as we have put in place clear structures, processes, and personnel to help Miron and his coaching staff return to the Championship as soon as possible.

“Not only that, the club have also moved quickly to bring in new signings and received repeated verbal promises from Miron that he was committed to Argyle and would do everything to help the club bounce back to the second tier.” Muslic was the first non-British coach to take over at Home Park, and he almost single-handedly led the club to survival after Rooney quit on December 31 with the club in last place in the Championship. He modified the formation to three central defenders and improved their defensive performance; the team had the worst goal conceded record in the EFL under the former England captain. Three consecutive wins in February, including the triumph over Liverpool and the season-best 5-1 win over Millwall – gave Pilgrims fans hope of survival.

But a run of one win in eight league games from mid-February until the end of March – including losses to relegation rivals Derby County and Hull City – would eventually seal his side’s fate. Despite this, they finished the season strongly, winning four of their final seven games against Norwich City, Sheffield United, Coventry City, and Preston, but it was too late. Muslic’s family remain in Austria, but he has spent much of the past three years away from them, having joined Cercle Bruges as head coach in 2022 before being sacked late last year.

His departure comes just a week after the Pilgrims named David Fox as their new technical director and Muslic’s former Cercle Bruges chief scout Tom Randle as head of recruitment.

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Media caption,

Relive Miron Muslic’s best day when Plymouth Argyle defeated Liverpool in the FA Cup.

Miron Muslic’s decision to leave Plymouth Argyle is not entirely surprising given his post-match comments following the season’s final game. However, this will be disappointing news for Argyle fans who had grown fond of their first foreign coach and had high hopes that he would be able to bring them right back to the Championship following relegation. In the press conference following the final-day loss to Leeds United, you could see how disappointed he was that Argyle had been relegated, but that his first thoughts were not on next season, but on returning home to Austria to see his family.

He is a charismatic character who controls a room; his first speech to his squad after being appointed went viral for its inspiring content, and he definitely has the ability to encourage a team. It is unclear who will take over at Argyle, but they will face numerous challenges. Can they put together a group that can go right back up? What will they do with Ryan Hardie and Adam Randell, who have a year remaining on their contracts? Will they keep Muslic’s backroom crew, or will they have to hire new coaches?

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