Watford sack Cleverley after failing to make play-offs

Watford have sacked head coach Tom Cleverley after they failed to make it to the Championship play-offs.

The Hornets finished 14th in the table with 57 points, 11 points behind sixth-placed Bristol City, having won just one of their last nine matches of the season (D2 L6).

In fact, they finished the campaign on a five-match winless streak, with their final-day 1-1 draw against Sheffield Wednesday ending a run of four consecutive losses.

Cleverley took over on an interim basis in March 2024 after Valerien Ismael’s departure, before being confirmed in the permanent role the following month.

Watford FC confirms the departure of Tom Cleverley as Head Coach.

— Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC) May 6, 2025

“The time has come for a change and to build on what we believe is a young and talented squad that will have benefited from the experience of the Championship this season,” sporting director Gian Luca Nani said.

“It has been a privilege to work closely with Tom; to understand how he sees the game and his enthusiasm for everything here. He deserves to be recognised for this, and I’m sure he will have a bright future in the game.”

Former Manchester United midfielder Cleverley was the first Watford manager to complete a full season in charge of the club since Javi Garcia in 2018-19.

He took charge of the team for 59 matches in all competitions, ing 20 wins (D14 L25) to finish with a win percentage of 33.9%.

His 1.24 points per game in the Championship is the best by a Watford manager since Slaven Bilic, who left the club in March 2023.

Watford are yet to make a decision on Cleverley’s replacement, as they look for their 10th permanent coach since Nigel Pearson was sacked in July 2020.