Watford FC eyeing appointment of 55-y/o European manager | OneFootball

Watford are currently searching for a replacement to Ed Still after his dismissal earlier this month

Watford ended the 2025-26 Championship campaign with five defeats in a row to fall to 16th in the table - and to the surprise of no-one, it ended with another managerial change at Vicarage Road.

A 4-0 defeat to Coventry City on the final day marked the end of Ed Still’s brief stint in charge in Hertfordshire.

The 35-year-old was appointed head coach of the Championship side in February, but he lasted just 15 games in charge before being dismissed.

He was unable to sustain Watford’s promotion push, with the Hornets coming 16 points behind sixth place Hull City to consign the club to a bottom half of the standings.

Watford will be hoping for better things next season, with their sights set on returning to the Premier League for the first time since 2022, and they will be hoping to hire less than the three managers they had through the most recent campaign, with Still replacing Javi Gracia, who took over from Paulo Pezzolano.

Watford FC pushing for Danish managerial appointment

It has been reported by Polish journalist Tomasz Włodarczyk that Watford are seeking the appointment of Niels Frederiksen following Still’s dismissal.

The 55-year-old is currently in charge of Polish side Lech Poznan, but his future is uncertain going into the summer.

The Dane made the move to the Ekstraklasa in 2024, and he has overseen back-to-back title wins in his time in charge.

But he could yet make the switch to English football, with Watford reportedly pushing for his appointment.

Frederiksen’s contract is set to expire next month, and it’s believed that his current deal suits his demands.

However, it’s understood that he is open to a move away from the Polish champions, which could open the door to the Hornets as they seek Still’s replacement.

The Championship side have had 13 permanent managers in the 2020s, so any potential hire will need to be wary of how little time is afforded at Vicarage Road.

But it’s been claimed that Frederiksen is considering the opportunity to move to English football, having previously managed in Denmark, as well as Poland.

He was in charge of Brondby from 2019 to 2022 before taking over at Lech Poznan two years ago.

The 55-year-old oversaw Brondby’s 2021 Danish Superliga title win, while also winning the 2025 Ekstraklasa coach of the year award for his role in Lech Pozan’s title triumph.

It remains to be seen whether Watford will be able to convince him to depart his current side, or if they will need to seek alternatives elsewhere.

Niels Frederiksen appointment would be a left-field move by Watford and Gino Pozzo

There’s no doubt that Frederiksen has done a great job in Polish football, winning consecutive league titles, but translating that to the Championship will be tough.

There are no guarantees of success in football, particularly with Watford, and it may be tough to convince the Danish coach to walk away from a good thing at Lech Poznan.

It’s possible he is using interest from Watford to improve his leverage in contract talks with the European team, but it could be an interesting appointment if they could get him on board.

Watford and owner Gino Pozzo have tried all sorts of different coaches over the years, so it’s hard to tell what it will take to succeed at Vicarage Road, but he has certainly shown at Brondby and Lech Poznan that he has what it takes to win games.