After Chris Wilder’s short-term contract expired, Valerien Ismael took over as manager of Watford, becoming the club’s 19th manager since the Pozzo family took possession in July 2012.
The appointment of Valerien Ismael as the team’s new head coach has been officially announced by Watford.
We are pleased to confirm the appointment of Valérien Ismaël as our new Head Coach.
Welcome to Watford, Valérien. 👊
— Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC) May 10, 2023
Chris Wilder, whose short-term contract expired after Watford’s final Championship match of the season, is replaced by the 47-year-old.
Ben Manga, the technical director at Watford, said on the appointment:
“Being able to appoint a new coach so soon in May means we can prepare very well together for next season.”
In the 11 games that Wilder oversaw, they lost five, drew three, and won three, all of which ended their chances of making the playoffs.
Wilder is Watford’s fourth manager in less than a year, and the club has developed a reputation as a hire-and-fire club in recent years.
All three of the most recent managers, Roy Hodgson, Rob Edwards, and Slaven Bilic, were in charge for no more than seven months each.
Alan Knill, Matt Prestridge, and Mike Allen, members of Wilder’s coaching team, have also left the organization.
Ismael, a French native, has experience managing at German clubs Nurnberg and Wolfsburg before stints with Apollon Smyrnis and LASK. He led the Austrian team to its first appearance in the Champions League play-offs and its first appearance in the UEFA Europa League group stage, where they advanced to the round of 16.
Ismael first moved to England to take up a management role in October 2020, guiding Barnsley to the Championship play-offs that season despite being in the relegation zone when he arrived.
