"Speak to him" - Pundit urges Plymouth Argyle to make ambitious move for Paul Heckingbottom | OneFootball

Pundit Carlton Palmer believes that Plymouth Argyle should make an ambitious move for Paul Heckingbottom, but he admitted the former Sheffield United manager would be unlikely to accept the job.

The Pilgrims are still searching for a permanent replacement for Ian Foster, who was sacked in April after a disappointing three-month stint at Home Park.

Director of Football Neil Dewsnip took over on an interim basis until the end of the season after Foster's exit, and he won three and drew one of his six games in charge to keep Argyle in the Championship.

The Pilgrims suffered a blow in their managerial search last week as ex-Hull City boss Liam Rosenior, who was surprisingly sacked by the Tigers earlier this month, rejected the job.

Argyle will now need to turn their attention elsewhere, and according to journalist John Percy, Heckingbottom will be interviewed this week.

Heckingbottom has been out of work since being dismissed by Sheffield United in December after a poor start to life in the Premier League, but he did lead the Blades to promotion from the Championship last season as they finished second behind champions Burnley.

The Sun claimed in March that Heckingbottom was Sunderland's first choice target to replace Michael Beale, but there has been little progress since then, and he remains on the market.

It now seems that Heckingbottom has emerged on the Pilgrims radar, and he is "one of several options under consideration" as they look to appoint a manager with experience of the division.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Palmer said that Plymouth should make an approach to Heckingbottom, but he does not believe that he would be interested in taking over at Home Park, and he instead tipped him for the vacant managerial position at Norwich City.

"Paul Heckingbottom is still out of work, he hasn't decided to take a job," Palmer said.

"I recently spoke to him and he was having a break, he's having a break in the summer and weighing up all his options.

"I've said it many, many times, I was very impressed with Paul Heckingbottom as a person and the job he did at Sheffield United and the way he conducted himself.

"It would be an ambitious bid for Plymouth Argyle, I think having got Sheffield United promoted from the Championship, he would be looking for a job that would give him the opportunity to achieve that again. "No disrespect to Plymouth, but next season with the funds that they've got, they'll be fighting to stay in the Championship again. "It would be an ambitious approach for Paul Heckingbottom given that Liam Rosenior has just turned the job down, but speak to him, you never know, you might be able to offer him something that might intrigue him and might entice him to the football club. "We've just seen the manager gone from Norwich, Paul would be a great appointment for them if he's given the resources to get Norwich going again, it's a fantastic football club. "It's always difficult now with the money, the haves and the have nots when teams get relegated from the Premier League.

"It's very difficult to get promoted, you've got the three teams that come down, so you're looking at a play-off place, which is what the manager secured them, and he's ended up getting the sack."

Paul Heckingbottom would be an excellent appointment for Plymouth Argyle

There is no doubt that Heckingbottom would be an outstanding appointment for Plymouth, and as Palmer says, while he seems unlikely to accept the role, there is no harm in interviewing him.

Having led Sheffield United to promotion from the Championship last season, it would be a big coup for the Pilgrims to land Heckingbottom's signature, and he could be the perfect man to help the club consolidate in the second tier after narrowly avoiding relegation this term.

As shown by their move for Rosenior last week, Argyle are setting their sights high in their search for a new manager, but their limited financial resources compared to some of their Championship rivals could deter potential managers from taking the job.

Rosenior's rejection will have been hugely disappointing for the Pilgrims, but it should not stop them from being ambitious, and after Foster's disastrous tenure, they must take their time to get this appointment right.