'Money talks' - Tom Cleverley to leave Plymouth Argyle for Blackburn Rovers? | OneFootball

FLW's Plymouth Argyle fan pundit has given his reaction to speculation linking Pilgrims head coach Tom Cleverley with Blackburn Rovers.

Blackburn Rovers are on the hunt for a new manager following Michael O'Neill's shock decision not to stay on at Ewood Park.

O'Neill took over at Blackburn in February after agreeing a short-term contract that saw him combine his duties at the club with his role as Northern Ireland manager, and he successfully kept Rovers in the Championship after winning five and drawing five of his 15 games in charge.

After leading the Lancashire outfit to safety, O'Neill was reportedly offered a three-year contract to remain at Ewood Park, and he was expected to commit his future to the club, but in a surprise turn of events, it was announced on Tuesday that he would not be signing a new deal, instead opting to focus solely on Northern Ireland.

While O'Neill's decision came as a shock to Blackburn, it seems they have already identified potential replacements for the 56-year-old, with journalist Alan Nixon reporting that former Southampton and Rangers manager Russell Martin is under consideration, along with Plymouth Argyle head coach Tom Cleverley.

After a nightmare start to life at Home Park following his summer arrival, Cleverley's job looked to be under severe threat with Argyle sitting in the League One relegation zone in early January, but they eventually finished the season in eighth place, just two points from the play-offs, following a stunning upturn in form in the second half of the campaign.

It appears Cleverley's impressive work with the Pilgrims has not gone unnoticed, and amid speculation linking him with the Rovers vacancy, it remains to be seen whether he could be tempted by the opportunity to move closer to home, with the 36-year-old believed to be based in Cheshire.

Confident Plymouth Argyle reaction given to Tom Cleverley, Blackburn Rovers links

When asked for his reaction to reports linking Cleverley with Blackburn, FLW's Plymouth Argyle fan pundit Luke Hodge insisted that he is confident that the Pilgrims can keep hold of their head coach, although he admitted that loyalty is in short supply in football.

"You can never say never in football," Luke told FLW.

"There's not much loyalty around these days, money talks.

"However, I've actually never felt more confident about a Plymouth manager staying in the close season than I do with Tom Cleverley this year.

"He seems like a manager that wants to build a project, and he's been given an opportunity at Argyle to do that.

"When it came to November, many other clubs would have sacked him at that point when we were sitting bottom of the league and struggling, but Argyle and Simon Hallett stuck by him.

"It proved to be the right decision because the last three or four months of the season, although we didn't get into the play-offs, our form was sitting near the top of the league.

"The fans have really taken to Tom Cleverley now, there's a strong bond between him and the club and him and the fans.

"I think it would take something too good to turn down for him to leave Argyle.

"Don't get me wrong, I know there's plenty of bigger clubs with more money, but I don't think he's actively looking to leave the club.

"Unless it was a super offer, I think he's likely to stay with Argyle.

"I know Blackburn are in the Championship, and he might still go, you never know, but I just have a feeling that he'll be staying at Argyle for a League One promotion push next season."

Tom Cleverley must reject Blackburn Rovers interest and remain at Plymouth Argyle

After his tough start to life at the club, Plymouth owner Simon Hallett stuck with Cleverley at a time when many supporters were calling for his sacking, so the Pilgrims chief will be hoping that his head coach will repay that loyalty if Blackburn were to make a formal approach.

Of course, the chance to work closer to home will be appealing to Cleverley, while he may also be tempted by the opportunity to manage in the Championship again, but many of Rovers' previous managers have had issues with the hierarchy, including Tony Mowbray, Jon Dahl Tomasson and John Eustace, and the fact he rejected a new contract suggests that O'Neill had similar reservations.

Argyle are a well-run and progressive football club, and Cleverley now has almost universal support from the fanbase after the remarkable turnaround he inspired in recent months, so it would be a huge mistake to swap the stability at Home Park for the chaos at Ewood Park.