Claudio Ranieri is the new manager of Watford

CLAUDIO RANIERI has been appointed as the new manager of Watford, replacing Xisco Munoz

Claudio Ranieri as of today, Monday, October 4, is the new manager of Watford. He will replace Spanish coach Xisco Munoz, who was sacked by the club after winning just two matches from seven since the new season began. Munoz has been in charge at Vicarage Road for less than ten months.

The club made the announcement of his appointment this afternoon, and it is believed Ranieri has signed a two-year deal. Having stepped down as manager of Serie A club, Sampdoria, this summer, the well-respected coach is a fantastic acquisition for the Hornets.

Ranieri is no stranger to managing in the top-flight of English football, with the 69-year-old Italian having previously been with Leicester City, Chelsea, and Fulham. He joined Leicester with the club hotly being tipped for the drop into the Championship, but he worked a miracle to turn them into Premiership champions in 2016.

Watford are currently languishing in 15th place in the table, following a topsy-turvy start, but they still remain only three points away from the top ten places. The Italian could well bring in some of his own backroom staff to assist him in his new task, although there has been no word on that yet.

In a statement, the club said, “The board feels recent performances strongly indicate a negative trend at a time when team cohesion should be visibly improving”, adding, “The Hornets will always be grateful to Xisco for the part he played in securing last season’s promotion, and wish him well for his future career in football”.

After the international break, Ranieri has a real test in his first game in charge, at home to Liverpool, as reported by thesun.co.uk.