After only five league wins in the 2025 season and finishing 14th in the Championship, Watford officially announced the sacking of head coach Tom Cleverley. The former England international's dismissal also marked the end of his eight-year relationship with the Hornets.

Cleverley joined Watford from Everton in 2017, played 146 games for the team, and retired the following year after serving as captain in 2023. In March 2024, when the head coach position was vacant, the club temporarily appointed him as caretaker coach. With his outstanding performance in the first seven games of coaching, he lost only one game, and then got a formal head coach contract.

Despite losing the best player and the best young player last summer, Cleverley led the team to the play-off zone, only 4 points away from sixth place. However, the team's performance took a sharp turn for the worse at the end of the season, winning only one game in the last seven games, and was eventually left 11 points behind the play-off zone, which directly led to his dismissal.

Watford sporting director Gian Luca Nani said on the club's official website: "We think it's time to make a change. The current team is young and full of potential. We have just experienced a full season in the Championship and we hope to build on this."

Cleverley is Watford's third-longest-serving manager since the Pozzo family took over in 2012, and the first coach to stay in charge for more than one season since Javi Garcia was sacked in 2019. Under Pozzo's management, the team has experienced 21 permanent managers in 13 years, 15 of whom failed to coach for a full season, which shows how turbulent the position of head coach is.

Although his coaching performance was not satisfactory, Cleverley's contribution was still respected by the fans. Whether it was the hard work during his playing days or the attempt of coaching, the 35-year-old former captain has demonstrated his loyalty to the club with practical actions.