Watford sack head coach Tom Cleverley

Watford are searching for their 10th permanent manager in five years after the Hornets decided to part company with head coach Tom Cleverley.

Named interim boss in March 2024 following the dismissal of Valerien Ismael, Cleverley was handed the Vicarage Road role on a permanent basis a month later after an impressive caretaker period which saw him steer the Hornets away from possible relegation trouble.

Cleverley had Watford on the periphery of the play-offs for the majority of the subsequent campaign but six defeats in their last nine matches saw them conclude the season in 14th.

Failure to be in contention for a top-six finish has ultimately cost Cleverley his job, despite the 35-year-old having to contend with the sale of key players and a lack of reinvestment

In a statement on the official club website, sporting director Gian Luca Nani said: "The time has come for a change and to build on what we believe is a young and talented squad that will have benefitted from the experience of the Championship this season.

"It has been a privilege to work closely with Tom; to understand how he sees the game and his enthusiasm for everything here. He deserves to be recognised for this and I'm sure he will have a bright future in the game."

Watford had started the season strongly and were occupying a play-off berth until the end of December when a run of three defeats saw them slip out of the top six.

Failure to recruit adequately in the January window and injuries to key personnel including Kwadwo Baah and Giorgi Chakvetadze only served to hamper Cleverley's grip of the situation.

The form table since the start of the year made for grim reading with the Hornets acquiring the fewest points of any Championship club and Watford had only picked up five wins from 24 matches in 2025.

Cleverley was the first Watford manager to still be in charge at the end of two successive seasons since Malky Mackay in 2011, who was at the helm prior to Gino Pozzo's ownership of the club.

Watford's next manager will be the 21st of the Pozzo era - providing the Italian doesn't return to one of his former employees.

The average lifespan of a head coach under Pozza now stands at 234 days, with Cleverley helping to increase that figure after more than a year in charge.

• Full list of Watford managers in the Gino Pozzo era

Jaquob Crooke

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