Plymouth Argyle may have struck Home Park transfer gold - They can thank Miron Muslic | OneFootball

Miron Muslic's final signing for Plymouth Argyle, Malachi Boateng, has been a standout for the Pilgrims so far this season.

Plymouth Argyle's January deadline day signing Malachi Boateng has hit the ground running in League One, and looks to be a shrewd piece of business they may have to thank former boss Miron Muslic for.

The midfielder arrived from Hearts of Midlothian on the final day of the 2025 winter transfer window, and has since gone on to become one of the club's most important players, following their relegation to League One.

It's been a turbulent start for Tom Cleverley's men in the third tier, but evidence in recent weeks has certainly suggested that the good times could be coming again at Home Park, as the new-look squad begins to gel.

One man who has taken most of the plaudits is new striker Lorent Tolaj, having netted six goals in nine appearances in all competitions, but further behind him, Boateng has been a key in the engine room, with one goal and four assists in 14 outings.

The 23-year-old has hit a rich vein of form, and is becoming a popular man in PL2. If he continues to hit these current performance levels throughout the season, he may go down as the best thing to come out of unpopular former manager Muslic's time at the club.

Malachi Boateng has emerged as a key player for Plymouth Argyle

Boateng's move to Home Park in February would be the beginning of his senior career in England, having moved to Scotland from Crystal Palace in 2024, having failed to register a senior appearance for the Eagles.

The defensive midfielder forged a solid career north of the border, spending time on loan with Queen's Park and Dundee, before moving to Hearts permanently in the summer of 2024.

Boateng featured 28 times in all competitions for the Edinburgh-based side, including five times in the Conference League, before Muslic decided he wanted to bring the 23-year-old to Plymouth, as he looked to strengthen his midfield options.

Whilst he featured sporadically for his new club in his first six months, the summer departures of Darko Gyabi, Adam Randell, and Jordan Houghton, gave him a chance to feature more often in the coming season.

Boateng has grabbed that opportunity with both hands, starting all 11 of Argyle's league matches thus far, scoring once and assisting three, as he sits joint-second in the League One assist chart, just behind Wycombe Wanderers' Luke Leahy with four.

The ex-Palace hotshot's contributions haven't been limited to just attacking play though, as his defensive cover has been integral for Plymouth, which has seen him rank among the very best in the division for tackles and duels won.

Boateng signing might be the only lasting positive of Miron Muslic's tenure

In the space of a few short months, former manager Muslic went from adored to despised at Home Park, after refusing to return to the south coast in the summer, and forcing a move to Bundesliga 2 side FC Schalke 04.

The Bosnian-Austrian head coach came close to pulling off the great escape, and made verbal promises to the board that he would remain in post going into Argyle's League One campaign, which were promises he wouldn't keep.

Now, even uttering his name in the vicinity of a Pilgrims supporter will likely spark an angry reaction. However, no matter how the ordeal ended, the Green Army have him to thank for bringing one of their star players to the club.

Boateng was Muslic's final signing as Plymouth boss, and is actually the only one of the 43-year-old's five signings who are still at the club, such is the nature of the rebuild job Cleverley has faced in the summer.

The 23-year-old has come on leaps and bounds this season, and is thriving under his new head coach. Having been recognised as more of a defensive-minded midfielder, Boateng has added goals and assists to his game in this new system, which has brought the best out of him all over the pitch.

As mentioned, his defensive statistics rank among the highest in the division in his position, with 63.2% of duels won, 30 successful tackles, nine interceptions, and an immaculate discipline record, which has seen him yet to register a booking in the league.

Boateng is the ideal midfielder at League One level, possessing all the necessary qualities to control the tempo of the game from the engine room, breaking up attacks at the source, and helping his team offensively, having been given the scope to push further forward by Cleverley, which is paying dividends.

Whilst Muslic's name isn't met with a pleasant response from the Green Army, the one thing they can thank him for is the signing of Boateng, who has been completely revolutionised by the Bosnian-Austrian's successor.