Plymouth Argyle have been urged to pull off ‘a coup’ by tempting Tom Cleverley into taking on the vacant head coach position.
The Pilgrims were left frustrated last month when Miron Muslic left the club in favour of a move to fallen German giants Schalke 04. This came in spite of the 42-year-old revealing at the end of last season that he remained committed to the club and hoped to guide his team back into the Championship at the first time of asking.
This has left Plymouth in the unenviable position of trying to find the right man to lead the time forward whilst planning for life in League One. A number of names have been linked over the past couple of weeks, including Jack Wilshere, Ian Evatt and Des Buckingham. Brian Barry-Murphy had been the previous favourite amongst the bookies, although the Leicester City coach is now widely tipped to take over at Cardiff City.
Cleverley Would Be ‘A Great Coup’
Cleverley is currently out of work after being dismissed by Watford at the end of the season following their failure to reach the play-offs. However, it was a decision that was widely condemned, especially by Hornets’ supporters.
The 35-year-old is one of the favourites to take over at Home Park, although it is unclear as to whether he would be willing to drop down to League One. Speaking to Football League World, Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie urged Plymouth to appoint the former Manchester United and England midfielder:
“I do think he would be a good appointment.
“I think he probably could’ve pushed on and done better things at Watford.
“But I think that 100 per cent that, if Plymouth are linked with him and he does take that job, it’s obviously a step down but it would be a great coup for the football club.”
Writer’s View
Cleverley is reported to have held talks with Plymouth ahead of a potential appointment. Should he be offered and accept the role, it could prove to be a masterstroke. They thought they had struck gold with Muslic, only for disappointment to hit from seemingly out of nowhere. Cleverley seems to be of a similar mould to their previous head coach and is expected to have a big future in management. It’s undoubtedly a risk due to his lack of experience at League One level, but it is one worth taking.
