Head coach Muslic to leave Plymouth amid Schalke link

Miron Muslic won nine and lost 10 of his 24 games in charge of Plymouth Argyle

Plymouth Argyle head coach Miron Muslic is to leave after opening talks with a German second division club.

Argyle, just relegated from the Championship, said they had "reluctantly" allowed the Bosnia-born Austrian to enter into discussions with the Bundesliga 2 club, reported to be Schalke.

Former Cercle Bruges boss Muslic, 42, replaced Wayne Rooney as head coach in January but could not keep the club up in the second tier, despite a good run of form towards the end of the season.

He masterminded Argyle's FA Cup fourth round win over Premier League winners Liverpool.

Following the club's relegation he would not commit to whether he would stay on 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," a statement by Plymouth Argyle read.

"We are frustrated by this decision, having implemented clear structures, processes and personnel to aid Miron and his coaching staff as we look to return to the Championship at the earliest opportunity.

"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 charge at Home Park and almost masterminded a survival that seemed unlikely when Rooney left on 31 December with the club bottom of the Championship.

He changed the system to three central defenders and made them more solid defensively - the club had the worst record for goals conceded in the EFL under the former England captain.

Three successive wins in February - including the victory over Liverpool and a 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 that they ended the season well, winning four of their last 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 loss comes just a week after the Pilgrims appointed David Fox as their new technical director and Muslic's former Cercle Bruges chief scout Tom Randle as head of recruitment.

Analysis

Brent Pilnick, BBC Sport, Plymouth

The news that Miron Muslic will not be staying at Plymouth Argyle is not a complete surprise given his post-match comments following the final game of the season.

But it will be saddening news to Argyle fans who had grown fond of their first foreign coach and had high hopes he would be able to guide them straight back to the Championship after relegation.

In that press conference after the final-day loss to Leeds United, you could see how sad he was Argyle had been relegated, but that his first thoughts were not on next season, but getting back home to Austria to see his family.

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

Who takes on the reins at Argyle now remains to be seen - but they will have a lot of issues at their door.

Can they build a squad capable of going straight back up? What will they do about Ryan Hardie and Adam Randell, who have a year left on their contracts? And will they keep Muslic's backroom team, or be forced to get a new set of coaches in?

They must find answers quickly.