Next Watford Manager Odds - Tom Cleverley Sacked
Watford recently announced the sacking of Tom Cleverley, who was an interim appointment to guide the club through the remainder of the season.
Cleverley’s initial run looked to be positive, but things have taken a turn for the worse in recent months, leaving the club in 14th place at the end of the Championship campaign.
This poor run of results has indicated to the board that Cleverley’s reign is nothing more than an short-term one, and they are now on the look out for their long-term suitor.
Who are the favourites to take on the Watford Manager role?
Alberto Garrido
Alberto Garrido is the current favourite for the Watford manager role, and it’s no surprise his name is in there having been a First Team coach at the club since July 2024.
Promoting Alberto Garrido to the manager role would make for a quick and smooth transition, bringing with him a respected background from Real Madrid.
Gary O’Neil
Gary O’Neil is an obvious contender for the next Watford manager given that he is currently out of work at this moment.
O’Neil has a blend of highs and lows throughout his Premier League managerial career, which might indicate that he needs to drop down to the Championship to regain his footing.
That said, Watford will be looking at his postive spell at Bournemouth and seeing strong potential for his skills at the Championship side with their intentions to become a Premier League team once again.
Steve Cooper
Just like Gary O’Neil, Steve Cooper currently finds himself available for managerial positions, and that’s not without Premier League experience to back himself in the market.
The difference between Steve Cooper and Gary O’Neil is that Cooper has a solid track record within the Championship to give the Watford board the right signals that he could be the man to deliver promotion.
Sean Dyche
On the topic of household names, Sean Dyche is yet another manager with a proven track record that is currently available in the market, following his sacking from Everton.
It would be no surprise to see any one of these three names assigned as the new Watford manager, given the club will have high ambitions to return to the top flight of English football.
Although his football might not spark excitement, Sean Dyche knows how to deliver results, and he has the record in both the Championship and Premier League to back this claim up.
Watford’s Managerial Crisis
At Watford, the term 'the managers door is always open' means something a little bit different than the comforting quote to a player, it's almost literal. The next Watford manager betting market is one that we seem to be seeing more and more since Watford and Aidy Boothroyd parted ways in 2008. However, in the last 10 years, it has gotten ridiculous. Boothroyd was the last manager to last 100 games in charge of Watford.
With countless numbers of managers since 2000, Watford manager betting odds are a constant.
Perhaps the most baffling sacking came in the form of Xisco Munoz who led Watford to promotion in 2020 but was sacked with the club 13th in the Premier League the following season.
Watford would go on to appoint Claudio Ranieri and Roy Hodgson that season and end up relegated. Xisco was sacked with Watford's highest-ever win percentage from a manager.
So, what hope does the next Watford manager have?
With a weaker squad and a chairman with loft ambitions, whoever is the next Watford manager, is going to have their work cut out for them.
Last 10 Watford Managers
| Name | Tenure | Record (W-D-L) |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Cleverley | March 2024 - May 2025 | 12-8-8 |
| Valerien Ismael | May 2023 - March 2024 | 13-16-19 |
| Chris Wilder | March 2023 - May 2023 | 3-3-5 |
| Slaven Bilic | September 2022 - March 2023 | 10-7-8 |
| Rob Edwards | May 2022 - September 2022 | 3-5-3 |
| Rod Hodgson | January 2022 - May 2022 | 2-3-13 |
| Claudio Ranieri | October 2021 - January 2022 | 2-1-11 |
| Xisco Munoz | December 2020 - October 2021 | 21-4-11 |
| Vladimir Ivic | August 2020 - December 2020 | 9-8-5 |
| Nigel Pearson | December 2019 - July 2020 | 7-5-10 |
Since the sacking of Roy Hodgson, the statistics from Watford managers have all been from the Championship, it has to be questioned whether the club made mistakes with their sackings, their appointments or both. In theory, Rob Edwards and Slaven Bilic appeared to be good hires from the club. However, it could be argued that both were sacked too soon with Edwards lasting just ten Championship games and the club had spent most of the season prior in the play-offs. Then Slaven Bilic took over lost three of his first five games but recovered to take the club back into the play-offs before a defeat to Sheffield United and draw against Preston saw Bilic sacked with the club within touching distance of playing in the play-offs.
2021/22 was Watford's last season in the top flight and they'll hope their next manager can push them closer to winning the league than dropping down to the third tier of football.