"Disappointed" - Plymouth Argyle chairman Simon Hallett speaks out on Miron Muslic situation | OneFootball

What Plymouth Argyle chairman Simon Hallett said after Miron Muslic left the Pilgrims to join FC Schalke 04.

Plymouth Argyle chairman Simon Hallett has penned a message to the Green Army following Miron Muslic's disappointing departure from the Devon-based side.

It was first reported by Fabrizio Romano on Wednesday evening that German side FC Schalke 04 had triggered the Argyle head coach's release clause. The club later confirmed in a statement that this was indeed true.

Confirmation of the 42-year-old's departure came early on Saturday morning, with a short statement from the Pilgrims wishing him well for the future.

This saw chairman Hallett pen an open letter to supporters of the club, outlining the timeline of Muslic's departure and how the former Cercle Brugge boss refused to return to Devon under any circumstances.

The facts revealed in the letter from the owner tell a disappointing and frustrating story, which all unfolded in the space of a single week.

Miron Muslic refused to return to Plymouth Argyle, Simon Hallett reveals

In the chairman's open letter, he revealed how Muslic's departure to Schalke unfolded.

Hallett claims Muslic refused to return to Home Park after learning of Schalke's interest, despite previously reassuring the Argyle chairman that he was "100% committed" to the club.

The statement from Hallett on Plymouth's official website reads: "We are disappointed at Miron Muslic’s departure – not at his joining a club with a profile such as Schalke, but in the timing and manner of his leaving.

"We hired Miron in January, giving him a three-and-a-half-year contract. Shortly after him joining us, we also hired the staff he requested, in an assistant head coach, head of elite performance, performance analysis and, a little later, a set-piece coach.

"A recruitment team was in place for the season, augmented by our securing the services of Stuart Webber, a very experienced and well-regarded Sporting Director, to assist with the post-season rebuild of our squad, along with Tom Randle, who has subsequently joined us on a full-time basis as Head of Recruitment.

"After the season ended, and with rumours flying that Miron was attracting interest from other clubs, I called him personally, and he assured me that he was 100% committed to Argyle. As a result, Miron continued to take part in all recruitment meetings and was involved with interviewing and recruiting players until just last week. His colleagues had no indication that he wanted to leave," Hallett continued.

"Last Saturday [24th May], Miron informed the club that he wished to speak with Schalke with a view to joining them. Under his contract, a club wishing to speak with him needs Argyle’s prior permission. We were unwilling to give such permission, but Miron informed us that under no circumstances was he going to return to Plymouth. Thus, we reluctantly gave the necessary permission.

"By making clear his intention never to return, Miron gave us no choice but to move on. We could have insisted on the full compensation and gone to court to enforce his contract but would not have had his services as head coach, and progress on recruiting a replacement would have been blocked.

"Rather than get mired in a protracted and highly disruptive process, we settled for an amount of compensation that, while below the contracted sum, is a strong financial outcome for a League One head coach, enabling us to move on positively," the Plymouth owner concluded.

Argyle must quickly move on from Miron Muslic disappointment

There's a real sense of 'what could've been' around Plymouth currently.

Muslic was a popular figure among the Argyle fanbase, but has now left a rather sour taste in the mouths of the supporters, and Hallett.

The revelations from this open letter make for rather grim reading for the Green Army, but all connected with the club must quickly move on into this new chapter which has come sooner than expected.

The foundations are in place for Plymouth to achieve what they want to do next season, and Hallett revealed that the budget the new head coach will have at their disposal is "twice that [of what] we had the last time we were in League One," which resulted in the club winning the league with 101 points.

All in all, it's a big setback for the Greens, given the popularity of the former Argyle boss and a strong end to the season. However, there are already plenty of factors in place to believe that the next appointment will carry on what Muslic started.