"Disappointed" - Watford FC: Gino Pozzo blamed as Tom Cleverley, Norwich City links surface | OneFootball

FLW's Watford FC pundit has give his thoughts on Tom Cleverley's links to Norwich City.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Watford FC manager Tom Cleverley has been linked with the Norwich City vacancy in a surprise move.

Having sacked Johannes Hoff Thorup after just under a year in charge, sporting director Ben Knapper is in search of a new head coach.

According to The Sun, former Manchester United midfielder Cleverley is under consideration for the role after a stable season at Vicarage Road. At times, they were pushing for the play-offs, but a lack of consistency has seen them fall off in the latter stages of the season.

Despite this, Cleverley has managed to complete the rare feat at Watford of lasting a whole year at the helm. In fact, he is the only head coach out of their last 13 to successfully complete 12 months in charge.

Nevertheless, that could soon come to an end with the Norwich role possibly providing the 35-year-old with that extra bit of job security if the Canaries really push for his services.

Watford fan pundit wouldn't "begrudge" Tom Cleverley for chasing Norwich City role

To get a Vicarage Road point of view on Cleverley's links to Norwich, Football League World spoke to their resident Hornet, Justin Beattie, who admitted that he was surprised to hear talk of a potential move away for the Englishman.

"I think the news that Tom Cleverley is reportedly on Norwich City's shortlist to be their new manager came out of nowhere on Saturday after our defeat to Blackburn," Beattie told FLW.

"Most Watford fans will agree that Tom Cleverley has performed nothing short of miracles to get Watford a mid-table finish with the players at his disposal.

"The unwillingness of the Pozzos to invest in the squad has left Watford short this season and although Tom has admitted himself that he thought two strikers would be enough when, in fact, it wasn’t, it doesn’t diminish the fact he has pulled off quite a feat in being able to attain our mid-table finish.

"If he did go to Norwich, I think most Watford fans would be disappointed, but wouldn’t begrudge him a move to a club where perhaps he is backed better in the transfer window and is perhaps shown a little bit more respect as a head coach by the owners."

Norwich City could be an appealing move for Tom Cleverley

On the face of it, it may simply appear that Cleverley is swapping one mid-table Championship club for another, but if you look a little deeper, you can see where it might appeal to him.

Watford's summer and winter windows were relatively low-key with most players arriving for modest fees. In contrast, Norwich made a much larger investment, with the £8.5 million acquisition of Ante Crnac alone surpassing the total amount spent by Watford in the same period.

A repeat of such spending in the summer is undoubtedly something Cleverley would be keen to be involved in. With improved financial backing, he could well have the tools to transform the Canaries into serious promotion contenders.

Of course, expectations at Carrow Road will likely be higher, but it’s fair to say that Cleverley’s achievements at Watford have earned him the opportunity to manage a more stable, ambitious club.