Brent Pilnick, BBC Sport Online
Tom Cleverley joins a club intent on returning to the Championship at the first attempt after their relegation last season.
Having gambled on head coaches with little positive first-team experience in Ian Foster and Wayne Rooney, Argyle have gone for a man who was well-received during his time at Watford.
Despite being Argyle’s fourth head coach since January 2024, he is arguably joining a more stable environment for a manager than at Watford – Steven Schumacher and Miron Muslic both left for other clubs while Foster and Rooney’s poor records required their removal.
Cleverley’s major concern will be recruitment and retention – Adam Randell and Ryan Hardie both have 12 months left on their deals, while the club has players such as Michael Baidoo and Rami Al Hajj who struggled to adapt to the English game last season.
He will have a decent budget for the level, with owner Simon Hallett saying it is bigger than the club had when they won League One in 2023.
But that means the pressure will be on to produce a promotion push – especially with there being no mammoth spenders like Birmingham City and Wrexham in the division this season.
