5 Miron Muslic replacements Plymouth Argyle must consider ASAP | OneFootball

Miron Muslic is set to leave Plymouth for Schalke 04, so here are five managers that Argyle should consider as replacements for him.

Miron Muslic looks set to leave Plymouth Argyle for Germany to manage Schalke 04, which will leave a gap that needs to be filled at Home Park.

With reports that the German club Schalke 04 have triggered the release clause of the Plymouth manager Miron Muslic, Argyle will be in need of a replacement.

Muslic couldn't keep Plymouth in the Championship at the end of the 2024/25 season, but he did keep them fighting until the end, and he was also in charge when they caused the shock of the season by knocking Liverpool out of the FA Cup.

Here we take a look at five possible candidates for Argyle to consider:

Kevin Nancekivell

There's a lot to be said for hiring a manager who knows the club, and there aren't many who know Plymouth Argyle quite as well as Kevin Nancekievell.

Although his professional playing career at Home Park only amounted to six matches, he joined the coaching staff there after retirement and has been there ever since, earning his UEFA Pro Licence in 2017.

He was also in charge of the team along with Joe Edwards as joint-caretakers in January and went unbeaten in three matches; two in the League and, notably, their away win at Brentford in the FA Cup. Few would doubt his knowledge of coaching or the club itself, and he could offer a degree of continuity following Muslic's departure.

Luke Williams

Former Notts County and Swansea manager Luke Williams has been out of work since getting sacked by Swansea City in the new year, but he has a reputation for attacking, possession-based football and took Notts County back into the EFL in 2023 after a titanic title race with Wrexham in which they picked up 107 points but still finished second.

He left Meadow Lane to take the Swansea job, and would fit the bill if Plymouth want to carry out their pursuit of a quick return to the Championship in style.

Leighton Baines

Baines is currently the professional development coach and under-18s head coach at Everton, but he was among the favourites for the Plymouth job when Steven Schumacher left Home Park for Stoke City at the end of 2023.

Everton are in a far better condition now than they were at the time that he was previously linked with the position, but a first managerial role of his own may yet appeal.

Des Buckingham

When Des Buckingham was sacked by Oxford in December, it was a decision that shocked and surprised many Oxford fans.

Buckingham had been appointed to the role just over a year earlier, and had taken them into the Championship for the first time in a quarter of a century at the end of the season through the play-offs at the end of the 2023/24 season.

Ruben Selles

Unemployed since Hull City sacked him at the end of the 2024/25 season, Ruben Selles did an excellent job at Reading under the most trying circumstances that any manager could face.

Appointed there in June 2023, Selles took the Royals to 17th in League One in his full season in charge of the team, a comfortable nine points above the relegation places, despite the club picking up six points' worth of deductions over financial irregularities.

The good work continued the following season and Reading were in the League One play-off places when he left for Hull in the first week of December.

Hull didn't work out for him, but he did keep them in the Championship, and Plymouth are in a far better condition than Reading were in when he took them into the play-off places.