
Ex-Arsenal and Man Utd stars to go head-to-head for League One manager job
Jack Wilshere and Tom Cleverley are among the candidates to be interviewed for the vacant Plymouth Argyle job. Both the former Arsenal midfielder and ex-Manchester United ace are out of work having managed in the Championship last season
Plymouth are in need of a new boss having seen Miron Muslic depart for Schalke after less than a year in the job. Muslic oversaw the side's relegation after replacing Wayne Rooney at Home Park.
Rooney was sacked by the club in December after lasting 221 days of his three-year contract. The ex-Derby and Birmingham City boss managed just four wins and was relieved of his duties after a nine-game winless run put the team four points from safety.
Muslic was expected to continue at Plymouth having given chairman Simon Hallett assurances he would lead the side's campaign to earn promotion from the Championship. The club had already moved to put personnel and structures in place that Muslic insisted upon.
But Argyle have been forced into the managerial market and could go for a high-profile name once again with Wilshere and Cleverley in the frame. The former took charge of Norwich's final two games of the season as interim-boss after the Canaries parted ways with Johannes Hoff Thorup.
Wilshere arrived at Carrow Road in October 2024 as a member of coaching staff. The ex-England international was previously in charge of Arsenal under-18s and parted ways with Norwich via mutual agreement after the team decided they wouldn't consider him for the permanent job.
Cleverley meanwhile saw his playing career end with Watford where he moved into coaching. The 35-year-old was working with the Hornets academy before being named as interim head coach when Valerien Ismael was dismissed.
Cleverly impressed enough to be handed the role on a permanent basis but lasted little over 12 months before being sacked last month. The United academy product remained proud of his efforts.
"After the sadness wears off, I will forever have a feeling of gratitude and happiness towards the club and the place and people of Watford," he said. "To have built a connection with the players and supporters over the last 14 months has been special and the achievement I'm most proud about.
"To see the development of our key players, young players and academy players, has been an incredibly rewarding part of my job and their progress in the game will always be something I look out for. We have used 11 players aged 21 and under this year and both they and the club will benefit hugely for this experience.
"To maintain league position and points after selling key players last summer is something we should be proud of, as well as reflecting on why we couldn't sustain our play-off challenge will be something we should all review."
Wilshere and Cleverley will also see competition from Des Buckingham. The 40-year-old was surprisingly sacked by Oxford United in December.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
13 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Newcastle reach agreement to sign former Arsenal star after missing out on top target in key position
Newcastle have reached an agreement to take a former Arsenal star on loan for the upcoming Premier League season, with the played cleared to undergo a medical. The Magpies have found it hard going so far in the summer window, signing only Anthony Elanga and missing out on the likes of Hugo Ekitike and James Trafford. While Ekitike joined Liverpool for £79million, Trafford had been one of Newcastle's top targets for over a year and it looked as though they would make their move this summer. Instead, though, Trafford has rejoined former side Manchester City in a deal that could rise to more than £31million in fees, meaning the Magpies needed to look elsewhere to strengthen in the goalkeeping department. They have moved quickly to recruit, though, with an agreement now in place for Aaron Ramsdale to join the club. Ramsdale, who was also monitored by Newcastle before his move to the Saints, is now likely move to St James' Park on a one-year deal, with the club having an option to make the move permanent at the end of the season. Howe is looking to strengthen his goalkeeping department after missing out on James Trafford Ramsdale, 27, worked with Eddie Howe before when they were both at Bournemouth together. Ramsdale played for the club between 2017 and 2020, before departing for Sheffield United. In 2021, he got his big-money move to Arsenal for £30m, and was briefly their No 1 but soon replaced by David Raya. As a result, he joined Southampton last season, but the club finished bottom of the Premier League and were relegated. Ramsdale moved to Southampton last summer for an initial £18m, and his contract runs until 2028, making an exit tough. Newcastle, though, appear to have found a way, and Ramsdale will now compete with Nick Pope for the No 1 shirt. The Magpies' pursuit of Ramsdale comes after Trafford was heavily linked with a move to Newcastle and is even thought to have told the club he was willing to join last summer. Howe's side were in talks with Burnley earlier this window over a deal, and later tabled a £27m offer for the England shot-stopper. But when Trafford left the Etihad Stadium two years ago, though, he signed a contract including a 'matching clause', meaning if City matched a bid offered by a rival suitor he would have to make a return. Ramsdale, who recently lost his place in the England squad, has been given permission to travel to Newcastle for a medical and to finalise the deal.


Daily Mirror
13 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Man Utd and Arsenal agree on Ollie Watkins concern as huge transfer issue emerges
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins has been linked with a summer move, with Arsenal and Manchester United both linked, but he could yet see himself staying where he is Manchester United are keen on signing Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins this summer - but the club are reluctant to overpay for a player who turns 30 in December. And Arsenal had the same concerns before pulling out of the race to sign the England international. The Gunners explored a move for Watkins in January, but decided over the summer that Viktor Gyokeres was the answer to their needs up front. United have also looked at whether they might be able to land the forward, but are some way from an agreement. According to reports from The Athletic back in May, the Gunners' new sporting director Andrea Berta was unconvinced by the prospect of paying north of £40million for a player of Watkins' age. Joao Pedro and Hugo Ekitike were mentioned as potential alternatives at the time, though both have since joined different Premier League clubs. United are ready to pay a little more than that, with Mirror Football revealing that they hope they can agree a deal of £40-£45m, but it's still less than the £60m Villa are after. Ruben Amorim wants a proven striker to lead the line at Old Trafford, but the asking price is considered too steep. As an alternative, Amorim's side have spoken to Villa about the possibility of including Alejandro Garnacho in a player-plus-cash deal. Villa took Marcus Rashford on loan from United for the second half of last season, and Garnacho could yet fill the gap left by Rashford's decision to spend the upcoming season at Barcelona. In five Premier League seasons, Watkins has scored 75 league goals for Villa. His best return came in the 2023-24 season, when he bagged 19 in the league and 27 in all competitions. He finished last season with 16 in the league as Villa narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification. No United player ended up with more than eight. United have been in the United States for their pre-season responsibilities, earning a win against West Ham during the Premier League Summer series. After that victory, boss Amorim said he had yet to decide on his preferred XI for the league opener against Arsenal in mid-August. "It's a strong team and we need to prepare all the players, and we don't have a lot of weeks or a lot of games to prepare all the team," Amorim said. "That can change, you saw in the second half, there are players who can play in the first game. It's not a decision I made already." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.


The Independent
42 minutes ago
- The Independent
Is Yokohama v Liverpool on TV? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch pre-season friendly
Liverpool take on Yokohama F. Marinos in a friendly in Yokohama on Wednesday morning, with Reds fans hoping to see more of their new signings after encouraging cameos last time out. Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and Giorgi Mamardashvili all made appearances in an entertaining match against AC Milan in Hong Kong, and though Arne Slot 's side fell to a 4-2 defeat, the Dutchman will be encouraged by what he has seen so far. And fans could yet be treated to another debut in Japan as Hugo Ekitike prepares for the first match since his arrival from Eintracht Frankfurt in a £79m deal. But while Liverpool's transfer activity continues to be the story of their summer as the window rumbles on, Slot will be busy preparing the champions behind the scenes, with this match another step in short preparations for the defence of their Premier League title. Here's everything you need to know ahead of the match. When is Yokohama v Liverpool? The match is scheduled to kick off at 11.30am BST on Wednesday, 30 July, 2025 at the Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, Japan. How can I watch the match? Viewers in the UK can watch the match live on LFCTV, with coverage starting at 10.30am. Subscribers can also watch online via All Red Video, with a monthly subscription costing £4.99. Team news Liverpool will be without Joe Gomez after the long-serving defender returned to the UK after suffering an Achilles issue. Luis Diaz is also no longer with the squad ahead of his imminent move to Bayern Munich. Darwin Nunez is a doubt for this match after missing the defeat against Milan, but Reds fans could see new signing Hugo Ekitike for the first time after the Frenchman missed that game. Alexis Mac Allister who could be in contention after returning to full training, while players including Rio Ngumoha will be looking to impress once more. Liverpool's pre-season fixtures After the match in Japan, Liverpool will have one more set of friendly fixtures before they open to new season with the Community Shield match against Crystal Palace at Wembley on 10 August. The remaining friendly fixture is a double-header against Athletic Bilbao on 4 August. Both games will take place at Anfield, with the first kicking off at 5pm BST and the second at 8pm BST.