Watford FC respond as 56-year-old Spaniard reportedly set to replace head coach Tom Cleverley | OneFootball

News has been circulating that Cleverley is to be replaced as manager.

Watford have replied with "no comment" in response to speculation that the club are poised to replace manager Tom Cleverley with former Villarreal head coach José Rojo Martín, according to the Watford Observer.

The 56-year-old, more commonly known as Pacheta, has been out of work since November 2023, having been sacked after just 12 games in charge of the Yellow Submarines.

According to Spanish journalist Angel Garcia, Pacheta has sealed his move to the Championship with Watford, with an agreement in place after 10 days of negotiations.

Tom Cleverley reportedly set to be replaced by Pacheta at Watford amid "no comment" response

If what has been reported by Garcia is true, then it appears that Watford are about to part ways with Cleverley after a run of over 40 games with the Hornets as manager - including his time as caretaker manager, which makes him the longest serving head coach since Javi Gracia left in 2019.

Watford have been on a torrid run of form and have lost five of their last seven Championship games. However, the club currently occupy eighth and are only one point adrift of the play-off places.

To add to the rumours, the Watford Observer claim that they are aware of reports that Pacheta has been promised 'major finances' to help the Hornets return to the Premier League.

Given that Garcia claims that negotiations have been said to be ongoing for 10 days, it seems that the Watford hierarchy have been considering Cleverley's position for some time.

Ex-Man United midfielder Cleverley carried out his standard press conference duties this lunchtime, with a focus on the club's visit to Frank Lampard's Coventry City this weekend.

Sacking Tom Cleverley would be another rash decision by the Watford's Gino Pozzo

Cleverley appeared to buck the trend in Watford's turbulent recent history with managers, with the former Manchester United man a popular figure at Vicarage Road.

Since the Pozzo Family secured ownership of Watford in 2012, the club have appointed 19 different managers and, as a result, the club have garnered a reputation for hiring and firing.

The likes of Valerien Ismael, Rob Edwards, Slaven Bilic and Chris Wilder have all been in charge, but none of them lasted under the rule of the Italian owners.

However, this season felt different, with the Hornets starting the season in fine fettle. The club have been in the play-off mix since the start of the campaign, but have fallen away in recent weeks.

Although the club have had a blip of late, Cleverley has proven that he is surely worthy of a chance to turn Watford's fortunes around.

While nothing is concrete in this situation, the whole air of Cleverley's supposed departure has a whiff of truth to it and would be unsurprising given the club's recent past.