Watford sacked Quique Sanchez Flores after just 10 games in charge.
Flores, Javi Gracia’s replacement at Watford this season, failed to turn things around during his short stay. The Hornets are bottom of the league at the moment and the defeat to fellow strugglers Southampton on Saturday proved to be the final nail in the coffin.
With two hasty decisions already this season, Watford have to get their next appointment right. The next manager will have very little time to get his ideas across to the players with games coming in thick and fast until the turn of the year. Clement, who was Carlo Ancelotti’s trusted deputy for a number of years, is reportedly in the race but is he really the man to save Watford?
A lot was expected of the now 47-year-old when he took over struggling Swansea City in January 2017. An unbeaten five-game streak at the end of that season pushed the Swans to a 15th place finish but it could have very easily gone wrong back then.
The problems became more and more evident in the following season. Just one win in his final 12 games in charge cost him his job and that eventually cost Swansea their place in the Premier League. Clement’s next job at Reading wasn’t any better as he parted ways with the club after just seven wins out of a possible 30.
His abysmal record of 0.97 points per game saw the Royal Blues struggle even after his departure but they somehow managed to survive as they finished seven points ahead of 22nd-placed Rotherham. Watford need someone who can steady the ship almost immediately and based on his recent record, Clement is clearly not the man for the job.
The Hornets’ next five games are against Leicester City, Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Manchester United and Sheffield United. If Watford get their next appointment wrong, they can easily lose all of their next five games and that will almost certainly seal their fate in the Premier League this season.
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