Watford sack Tom Cleverley, becomes 10th manager to be dismissed in five years

Watford [UK], May 6 (ANI): Watford sacked Tom Cleverley on Tuesday after the club secured just five victories in 2025 and finished 14th in the Championship.

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Cleverley, a former Watford player, was appointed as the club manager on an interim basis in March 2024. He was handed a full-time role after Watford lost once in seven games under his watch.

However, Watford's fortune changed as they endured a mediocre run in the second half of the 2024/25 season, losing six fixtures out of nine from the beginning of the year till mid-February.

Watford struggled to recover from their shambolic run and found solace towards the end. With the latest sacking, Cleverley became the 10th manager to be removed in the past five years.

The Hornets stood four points shy of breaching the playoffs mark, but a solitary win in their last seven fixtures saw them end the season 11 points adrift.

Club's Sporting Director Gian Luca Nani opened up about Cleverley's departure and said, as quoted from the club's official website, "We thank Tom for his service - not just in his role as Head Coach but for everything he has given Watford as a player and member of staff. But the time has come for a change and to build on what we believe is a young and talented squad that will have benefited 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. Tom will always be part of Watford in recognition of all that he has achieved over so many years," Nani concluded.

Cleverley leaves as the first coach to last more than a season since Javi Gracia was dismissed in 2019. Since 2012, Watford have appointed 21 permanent managers, and 15 of them didn't last for a full campaign. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)