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In a surprising turn of events, Watford have confirmed that the club has parted ways with Marco Silva following the club's 2-0 loss to Leicester City yesterday. Silva was touted as one of the leading candidates for the Everton job shortly after Ronald Koeman's sacking back in October and Watford have now cited the "unwarranted approach" as the driving force behind the club's decision to part company with the Portuguese.
Silva earned the plaudits for Watford's meteoric rise to the top half of the table early on in the season but a run of one win in their last 11 outings is believed to have cost him his job with the Premier League outfit.
Watford are currently drifting down the table due to their poor results and are just 5 points away from the relegation zone at this point of time. On that note, let's take a closer look at five possible replacements who can take up the mantle at Vicarage road and help the Hornets steady their ship with the right results:
#5 Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes was perhaps caught in the wrong place at the wrong time during his sacking from Stoke City. The man transformed the way the Potters played their football ever since taking charge at the club and quickly earned the plaudits for the same. Hughes provided some much needed stability to Stoke and established them as one of the top ten teams in the league.
However, he currently finds himself without a job after being relieved of his duties by Stoke earlier this month and the project at Watford is indeed a tempting one for anyone looking to get back to a managerial job in the Premier League.
Considering the amount of talent available at their disposal, it will be fitting for Watford to try and lure someone of Hughes' experience to try and boost their ambitions for the current campaign. As for his recent episode of disappointment with Stoke, it can simply be put down as a case of losing the dressing room albeit being a respected figure in English football.
#4 Ronald Koeman
A lot was expected of Ronald Koeman when he was rewarded with a hefty purse in the summer ahead of the 2017/18 campaign with Everton. Koeman was not shy of letting the purse strings loose on the players he believed could propel the Toffees into new heights.
However, things did not go according to the script and he was sacked just 496 days into his new job as Everton failed to muster the desired results in the beginning of the campaign. The reasons behind Koeman's failure can be narrowed down into a few including poor transfer activity and the added weight of expectations due to the splurge of cash.
A job with the Hornets might fit the bill perfectly for the Dutchman who could do well with the kind of ambition that is required at a club like Watford to try and regain some of his lost glory.
#3 Marcelo Bielsa
Not many people know about this but Marcelo Bielsa popularly known as "El Loco", due to his raging antics on the touchline and highly combustible attitude, was hailed as 'the best coach in the world' by Pep Guardiola once. The Argentine is known for his tactical awareness and ideology that thrives on playing an attractive brand of football even without the backing of a hefty financial back-up.
Bielsa became one of the latest victims of modern football leaving behind the old managerial guardians after Ligue 1 outfit Lille decided to part company with the 62-year-old back in November. The former Athletic Bilbao manager has huge chunks of experience after starting his coaching career back in 1990 and has been at the helm for the Argentina and Chile national football teams.
Watford could do well with the experience and fiery attitude of Bielsa who is also known for making the most out of whatever he is provided with in the first place.
#2 Michael Laudrup
Al-Rayyan's Danish head coach Michael Laudrup is regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation and it was hard to not believe that he would eventually take up a coaching role after retirement simply due to the fact that he was a genius who played the game with his head.
Laudrup has previous experience of the Premier League through Swansea City and he impressed everyone with the results he managed to conjure during his time with the Welsh outfit. Swansea went on to win the League Cup under him during the 2012/13 season and were hailed as one of the best of the rest in the Premier League that year.
A manager of Laudrup's ability should be given a chance in the Premier League and the opening at Watford will surely send some sharks circling around the crown prince of Danish football, during their glory days in the past.
#1 Manuel Pellegrini
Manuel Pellegrini's name has been popping up every now and then whenever a Premier League manager faces the axe, ever since he left for the fortunes in China after stepping down for Pep Guardiola at the end of the 2015/16 campaign. The Argentine is a title winner with Manchester City and has a lot of experience at the top level, coaching some of the greatest names in world football.
Recently, Pellegrini was linked to the Crystal Palace job before the appointment of Roy Hodgson and it is believed that he will not be short of suitors if he is eyeing a return to England at some point of time.
Considering the freedom he will receive at a club like Watford, Pellegrini's appointment sounds like a match made in heaven for the Hornets who will be more than happy to welcome him to Vicarage Road.
