Valerien Ismael has been named as Watford’s new head coach.
Ismael, a former manager of West Brom and Barnsley, succeeds Chris Wilder, who left Vicarage Road at the conclusion of his brief contract.
The term of Ismael’s contract has not been made public by Watford, but he is the 19th full-time hire made by the Pozzo family in the previous 11 years.
Being able to appoint a new coach so soon in May means we can prepare very well together for next season.
To be able to welcome someone of Valerien’s experience to Watford is good news for our club. We are all looking forward to working with him.
Ben Manga, the technical director at Watford, said on the club’s official website
The Pozzo family still controls Watford, which has a remarkable history of changing managers frequently. Wilder was only hired in March after Slaven Bilic was fired.
In recent weeks, there had been much speculation over the future of the former manager of Sheffield United, Wilder, and on Wednesday night, that departure was made official.
The Hornets would like to place on record their thanks to Chris Wilder and his staff, whose short-term contracts have come to an end.
His 11-game spell began in March and finished after the season’s final-day win at home to Stoke City. We wish Chris, Alan Knill, Matt Prestridge and Mike Allen all the very best for their next opportunity in football.
The Club stated.
Ismael joins to Vicarage Road following a period in which he oversaw Besiktas in Turkey.
Following several managerial positions in Germany, most notably with Wolfsburg, the Frenchman found success at Barnsley in 2021 as he led them against the odds into the Sky Bet Championship play-offs.
The 47-year-old was hired by West Brom as a result, but after just seven months, he was fired. He is now attempting to assist Watford in their quest to return to the Premier League.