Watford have confirmed the sacking of Claudio Ranieri after the club entered the relegation zone.
A 3-0 defeat at the hands of Norwich at Vicarage Road was enough to convince the Hornets hierarchy to make their second managerial change of the campaign.
Ranieri, 70, was hired in October after Xisco Munoz was disposed with only months after earning promotion back to the Premier League. Watford sat 15th at the time, four points above the drop zone.
Big wins over Everton and Manchester United proved to be the club’s only victories under the Italian, who departs with a record of one draw and 11 defeats in 14 matches.
A replacement is expected to be in place for Saturday’s crunch match at Burnley, with Standard Sport reporting earlier on Monday that former Granada coach Diego Martinez will be in the running.
A Watford statement read: “The Hornets' Board recognises Claudio as a man of great integrity and honour, who will always be respected here at Vicarage Road for his efforts in leading the team with dignity.
“However the Board feels that, with nearly half of the Premier League campaign remaining, a change in the Head Coach position now will give a new appointment sufficient time to work with a talented squad to achieve the immediate goal of retaining Premier League status.”
