Head coach Muslic to leave Plymouth amid Schalke link

After kicking off negotiations with a German second division club, Plymouth Argyle’s head coach Miron Muslic has decided to quit.

Despite being recently dropped from the Championship, Argyle claimed they had “reluctantly” allowed the Bosnia-born Austrian to engage in discussions with Schalke, according to reports.

Muslic, 42, succeeded in replacing Wayne Rooney as head coach in January despite a strong run of form toward the end of the season.

He was instrumental in Argyle’s FA Cup victory over Liverpool, the champions of the Premier League.

He would not say whether he would continue playing at Home Park in League One next season following the club’s relegation.

After four years on the road, Miron has now made it clear that this opportunity offers him the chance to be closer to his family, despite regular communication since the season’s conclusion and no mention of any issues, according to a statement from Plymouth Argyle.

We regret making this choice despite having established solid procedures, personnel, and organizational procedures to assist Miron and his coaching staff in their efforts to return to the Championship as soon as possible.

When Rooney left on December 31 with the club’s bottom of the Championship, Muslic almost masterminded a survival that seemed unlikely. As a result, Muslic became the first non-British coach to take over at Home Park.

Under the former England captain, the club had the worst record for goals conceded in the EFL, and he switched to three central defenders.

But his side’s fate would eventually be sealed by a run of one win in eight league games from mid-February through the end of March, which also included defeats to relegation rivals Derby County and Hull City.

Despite winning four of their final seven games against Norwich City, Sheffield United, Coventry City, Preston, and Coventry City, they came away with a strong season.

Muslic’s family lives in Austria, but he has spent the last three years living there. He first joined Cercle Bruges as head coach in 2022 before being fired late last year.

Plymouth, BBC Sport, and Brent Pilnick

Given his comments following the final game of the season, Miron Muslic’s announcement that he will no longer be with Plymouth Argyle is not a total shock.

Fans of Argyle, who had grown fond of their first foreign coach and had high hopes he would lead them back to the top after being relegated, will be sad to hear this.

You could see how sorry he was that Argyle had been demoted in that press conference after the final-day defeat to Leeds United, but that his first thoughts were not the upcoming season but returning home to Austria to see his family.

His first speech to his squad when he was appointed went viral for its motivating content, and he was clearly able to inspire a side. He is a charismatic figure who commands a room.

Who will take over at Argyle at this time, but the answer will depend on many factors.

Can they create a squad that can immediately resurrect? What will they do with their contracts, which still expire in a year, for Ryan Hardie and Adam Randell? And will Muslic’s backroom team be forced to join or will they be forced to do so?