Watford have sacked manager Xisco Munoz after 10 months of being in charge of the Hornets, and guiding them back to the Premier League from the Championship. The dismissal is the 13th managerial change for the club since the Pozzo family came into ownership nine years ago.
The club posted a statement on their website confirming the same and thanking the 41-year-old for his services to the club. “The board feels recent performances strongly indicate a negative trend at a time when team cohesion should be visibly improving,” the club said
“The Hornets will always be grateful to Xisco for the part he played in securing last season’s promotion and wish him well for his future career in football.
“No further club comment will be available until the imminent announcement of a new head coach.”
Former Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri is being heavily linked as the replacement for Munoz at Watford. The former Chelsea and Leicester manager guided the Foxes to the Premier League title in 2016, against mammoth odds. He recently left Serie A club Sampdoria and is in talks with the board for the bench at Vicarage Road.
Watford are currently 15th in the Premier League, having 7 points from just as many games. They most recently faced Leeds United away from home and were defeated 1-0 in what was the final game for Xisco Munoz.
If Ranieri does end up being announced as the next Watford manager during the international break, he will have the unenviable task of facing Liverpool in his first match in charge.
