Watford Dismiss Their Manager After 10 Games and Bring Back Javi Gracia as Head Coach

The Championship side have made the decision to end Paulo Pezzolano's tenure after only five months and 10 matches in charge, announcing the return of ex-manager the Spanish coach as his successor.

It is understood that Pezzolano, who was hired in May to replace the interim manager, along with his backroom team, were instructed not to lead practice on Wednesday as speculation about his exit mounted on Tuesday.

Pezzolano was summoned for a discussion where he was named the 11th manager the club have moved on since the beginning of 2020.

"We are very pleased to reappoint Gracia," said the club's chief executive. "His passion, leadership and well-defined plan will foster stability, togetherness and momentum.

"We are sure many fans who wished Gracia had never departed in the past. With this talented team, we are convinced his know-how and qualities are exactly what we require now."

The returning manager previously led the team to the FA Cup final for the second time in the club's history in that year, but was dismissed several games into the next season and most recently coached at Leeds in 2023.

"For me, the emotion I have right now is that I'm going back to a familiar place. It was the happiest period of my professional life," Gracia remarked. "There are fond recollections and we have loose ends here. For us, it's a further important step in our career.

"It is something special for us, and at the same time we are very ambitious for this season. If we are united, we are stronger."

Pezzolano's sacking arrives despite their win against Oxford at their home ground on the weekend, which moved them to 11th in the second tier after a slow start that yielded a handful of points from the initial six matches.

Pezzolano is said to have departed disappointed by the decision to sack him, having led the side to a undefeated streak of three games that also included a home win over Hull and a tie at Portsmouth, placing them three points off the promotion playoffs.

The coach arrived shortly after the conclusion of the previous campaign with a strong record of leading teams to advancement in Spain, South America and Uruguay.