Plymouth Argyle have reportedly spoken with former Norwich City boss David Wagner as The Pilgrims look to replace Wayne Rooney.
The Devon club moved to sack the ex-Derby County manager after a very tough stint in charge of the club that are rooted to the foot of the Championship table. Rooney won four of his 23 league games in charge whilst at Home Park.
Argyle Speak To Wagner
According to PlymouthLive, David Wagner has been approached by Argyle in regards to their managerial vacancy, with the club hoping to appoint a new permanent boss ahead of their FA Cup third round match away to Premier League side Brentford this weekend.
The same report suggests that Plymouth have spoken to seven different candidates so far, including former manager Steven Schumacher following his dismissal from Stoke City earlier in the season. Argyle are yet to finalise their shortlist.
Wagner is best known for his time in charge of Huddersfield Town, leading the club to an unlikely promotion to the Premier League and keeping The Terriers in the division for two seasons before being sacked during their final top-flight campaign. He moved abroad to Schalke and Young Boys but returned to England in 2023 to lead Norwich City.
Despite getting The Canaries into the playoffs with a sixth-placed finish, City moved to sack the German following their loss to Leeds United in the semi-finals at the end of last season.
Writer’s View
Wagner would be a good appointment to make for Plymouth Argyle but it feels he may enter a similar situation as he faced whilst at Norwich, with a fanbase that can be volatile at times. Should he get the job, he will have plenty of time to recruit some much-needed reinforcements. His first targets should be in attack, with Andre Gray leaving the club and the rest of their forward line struggling this season. It still feels that Steven Schumacher should be the perfect candidate to make a return and it is still too soon to see how this race develops with the shortlist yet to be drafted.
Football journalist with The Real EFL since 2023. A 2024 Multimedia Journalism graduate from the University of Salford, Lewis specialises in Salford City FC and EFL coverage.
