He always has some cronies (3)
I believe the answer is:
ron
'he' is the definition.
(short for Ronald)
'some cronies' is the wordplay.
'some' indicates a hidden word (some parts of the word are used).
'RON' is hidden within 'cronies'.
'always has' acts as a link.
This may not be right. Some or all of it may be part of another bit of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for ron that I've seen before include "Short man's name" , "L. - Hubbard, US sci-fi writer" , "Boy's name (abbr)" , "Shortened man's name" , "--- Weasley, Harry Potter pal" .)